Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia says it is important to raise the CSTO’s status in the international arena

In an interview for the RBC TV channel, Yermek Kosherbayev, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation, spoke about changes in Kazakhstan after the January events, why they turned into pogroms and about the future of relations with Russia and the need to raise the status of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the international arena.
“Kazakhstan and Russia are reliable allies, strategic partners and good neighbours," said Yermek Kosherbayev.
He recalled that Russia has the longest land border with Kazakhstan.
Speaking of the CSTO’s role in Kazakhstan events, Yermek Kosherbayev noted, “If the CSTO troops had not come, it would have been difficult to cope. We would not have been able to quickly and efficiently deploy the law enforcement forces who must and can work in such riots, as many of them were engaged in the protection of important infrastructure facilities,” noted the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation.
Yermek Kosherbayev emphasized the strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the Collective Security Treaty. “The CSTO troops came for a short period that will depend on the situation in Kazakhstan and the position of the Kazakhstani leadership, which was initially stipulated in the decision of the CSTO Collective Security Council.
The situation has stabilized, it has been brought under control, so we say that the CSTO peacekeeping mission in our country is over. At the same time, we assess the mission as very successful.”
Speaking about the legitimacy of the CSTO peacekeeping forces’ deployment to Kazakhstan, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation said, “If there have been questions about the legitimacy of the CSTO troops’ deployment, it has been due to a misunderstanding of the situation. In some cases, in the international community, including the foreign media, there was an absolutely incorrect interpretation of both the use of the CSTO forces and the interpretation of the situation in Kazakhstan. The most important thing now is to prevent speculation on this topic, around the real events that occurred in Kazakhstan and the CSTO peacekeeping mission,” said Yermek Kosherbayev.
According to him, during the event in Kazakhstan, the Collective Security Treaty Organization proved not only its viability but also its efficiency. “For the first time in history, we showed that there is an organization that works. This is very important. Many treaties are signed and remain on paper.”
Yermek Kosherbayev believes that these events were a turning point in the development of the Organization that has acquired a new quality as a strong international institution. And now, in his opinion, we should “talk more about further progressive improvement and raising the status of our Organization in the international arena.”