Ruslan Kosygin: CSTO Is a Reliable Pillar of Belarus' Sovereignty and Security

The CSTO is one of the key elements of Belarus' security and sovereignty system. This was stated in the Address of the 12th Congress of the Belarusian Union of Officers, which took place today in Minsk.

The document emphasizes that working with the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization has made it possible to form a fundamentally new level of cooperation in the military sphere.

"In alliance with the CSTO Member States, and first and foremost fraternal Russia, we have created a single defence space and a single air defence system," the Address reads.

The participants of the Congress stated that they consider the CSTO the most important mechanism for ensuring collective security and deterring potential threats to Belarus and its allies.

Ruslan Kosygin, deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission on National Security of the House of Representatives of Belarus, Chairman of the Standing Commission on Socio-Economic and Legal Affairs of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly pointed out that he shares the views of the members of the association and stressed that for Belarus, being a part of the collective defence system strengthens national sovereignty and expands opportunities to protect state interests.

"I share the assessment given today in the Address of the 12th Congress of the Belarusian Union of Officers. In the current situation, a single defence space with the CSTO Member States is not only a deterrent, but also a key element in guaranteeing peaceful life for our citizens. Belarus has consistently showed that to us security is not an abstract concept, but the result of meticulous joint work with our allies. By strengthening integration in the defence sphere, we are not escalating confrontation, but protecting our people and creating conditions under which any potential aggressor will know that the response will be joint and decisive," Ruslan Kosygin stressed.