CSTO Reports Readiness to Cooperate with Africa and Latin America

Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, announcing the Boyevoye bratstvo 2023 exercise, said that the Organization is considering the prospects of holding joint events with African and Latin American countries.

“Given that the CSTO Member States are building such warm and close relations with African countries, joint events are possible. We are ready to cooperate with both Africa and Latin America if states from these continents express a desire to be partners or observers,” Anatoly Sidorov shared.

The Head of the Joint Staff noted that delegations of Iran, China, Saudi Arabia and Mongolia would be present as observers at the CSTO exercises in the Republic of Belarus, which may become members of the Organization if certain agreements are reached.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) currently consists of six states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The Organization has the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF) and the Collective Rapid Deployment Force (CRDF).

As you may recall, parliamentarians from Iran, China, Cuba and Viet Nam have been guests at CSTO Parliamentary Assembly events. Ever since Serbia was granted observer status, the leadership of the National Assembly has been a regular guest of the CSTO PA councils and plenary sessions. Parliamentarians from other countries are also interested in cooperation.