Kazakhstan – Central Asia – Greater Eurasia: Security and Stability in the Region Discussed in Moscow

On 11 September, a round-table discussion titled "Kazakhstan – Central Asia – Greater Eurasia: Stability and Security in the Face of New Challenges" took place in Moscow.

The event was organized by the CSTO Secretariat, in cooperation with the Centre for Social Conservative Policy and the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 

Among the participants were Taalatbek Masadykov, CSTO Secretary General, Sergei Pospelov, Executive Secretary of the CSTO PA, permanent and plenipotentiary representatives of CSTO Member States, representatives of the diplomatic corps and experts from research institutes and think tanks across Eurasia.

In his speech, Sergei Pospelov, Executive Secretary of the CSTO PA, stressed the importance of the CSTO's analytical work.  

"The analytical component of the CSTO is an ongoing, systematic effort. Our colleagues in the Parliamentary Assembly rely on it, and without it, there could be no forward-looking vision for the Organization's development. Today's meeting continues this work, and it holds real importance for all of us," Sergei Pospelov said. 

The Executive Secretary pointed out that the CSTO PA has drafted and adopted more than 100 model acts across various fields. "We are addressing the newly emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence in UAVs and weapons, as well as the militarization of outer space and military cargo transport. We are also drawing on earlier model acts, bearing in mind that our parliamentary cooperation now spans nearly 20 years," Sergei Pospelov emphasized.

He added that the cooperation among the SCO, CSTO, and CIS plays a key role today in the Eurasian region. 

"You likely won't find another example of a military and political organization (the CSTO) and organizations with a slightly different focus (the CIS and the SCO) working together to build a single space for security and development. And, through parliamentary channels, we can involve our partners from other organizations," Sergei Pospelov shared.

Speaking of the upcoming State Duma elections, the CSTO PA Executive Secretary also touched upon electoral security and sovereignty. 

"Electoral security is of the utmost importance today. We saw this once again observing the elections and the referendum in the Republic of Kazakhstan," Sergei Pospelov said. "In few days, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly’s observer mission will begin its work at the elections in the Russian Federation, and we will have much to share with our colleagues." 

The findings of the round table will be used in preparing a concept paper titled "The CSTO as a Space for Security and Development: Prospects for Cross-Platform Cooperation." The paper is to be presented at the working session of the CSTO Secretariat as part of the 4th Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in November.