Stanislav Zas: In Kazakhstan, the CSTO has sent a signal to the whole world: we do not leave our allies behind

00:00 By Nikita Vyatchanin
Stanislav Zas: In Kazakhstan, the CSTO has sent a signal to the whole world: we do not leave our allies behind

The CSTO is considering a possibility of deploying the Organization’s peacekeeping contingent outside its area of responsibility, provided there is a UN mandate and consent of all Member States. Stanislav Zas, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, spoke about this in an interview to our newspaper.

– Mr Zas, this year the CSTO celebrates a double anniversary: 30 years since the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and 20 since the establishment of the Organization itself. What is the CSTO today?

– Over the years, the Collective Security Treaty Organization has been transformed into an influential multifunctional structure. Today it acts effectively in three main areas: foreign policy coordination, military cooperation and countering challenges and threats.
The CSTO has a clear structure consisting of statutory, standing and subsidiary bodies. The supreme body is the Collective Security Council, which consists of the heads of state or government of the CSTO Member States. In addition, there is a multi-tier system of regular or urgent consultations between the states of the Organization. And the CSTO States adopt joint statements to formulate coordinated positions and promote collective interests in the international arena.
The main task of military cooperation is to ensure the collective security of the Organization’s states: sufficient forces and assets are being maintained for this purpose. We have military, police and civilian personnel assigned to peacekeeping missions. Let me stress that our peacekeeping contingent is established in accordance with all UN requirements.
In order to address contemporary challenges and threats promptly and effectively, we are constantly improving the anti-terrorism component of the collective security system, developing mechanisms to combat illicit drug trafficking and migration, protect information space, cooperate in guarding state borders and provide humanitarian aid to the population in emergencies.

– The mission to Kazakhstan was the first time that CSTO troops had been involved in resolving a major crisis. How do experts assess this operation?

– Both political and military experts from the Organization’s Member States and many external experts agree that the operation was a success. First and foremost, it is the swiftness of action that is remarkable: heads of the Member States held urgent online consultations immediately after receiving an appeal from Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan. Mere hours passed between the conclusion of consultations and the political decision to conduct the operation and the departure of the first units of peacekeepers.
In the operation zone, our servicemen acted as professionals: precisely and coherently, just as they had practiced during joint exercises. They accomplished all the tasks assigned to them. The collective peacekeeping forces’ actions were highly commended by the leadership of Kazakhstan and the CSTO Collective Security Council. I hope that the progress and results of this mission will send a clear signal to all: we will not leave our ally alone with provocateurs and criminals.

– The decision to conduct a peacekeeping mission in Kazakhstan was unanimously adopted by the leaders of the CSTO Member States. Do the countries of the Organization always manage to find consensus on important issues?

– There is complete mutual understanding among the CSTO Member States concerning the principal issues related to the strengthening of peace and stability in the Organization’s area of responsibility. And this is a solid basis for finding common approaches to addressing a multitude of important international tasks. There is a clear understanding that weakening the security of any CSTO State automatically means weakening the security of all others.
At the same time, our Organization is an association of six independent states with equal rights. At all levels of the CSTO there are responsible people, professionals who are able both to defend their point of view and to take into account their partners’ arguments. Therefore, respect for any position of an ally has always been part of our political tradition. I should note that the history of the CSTO is a history of open, interested and at times tense discussions. This is usually the case with true friends and partners in difficult but extremely important work.

– After the peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan, the CSTO was perhaps for the first time talked about as a real force ready to compete with (and if necessary, confront) NATO. Can the CSTO be considered a counterweight to NATO?

– NATO has never been mentioned as an adversary in the statutory documents of our Organization, primarily the Treaty, the Charter and the 2025 Collective Security Strategy. Moreover, the leadership of the CSTO Member States has always supported the idea of building a system of interaction involving all countries and blocs interested in strengthening peace and stability. Such an approach stemmed from the fact that many issues in this area had long ago acquired a global character and needed an appropriate response.
On the other hand, NATO is currently pursuing a de facto hostile policy towards a number of states of our Organization. We closely monitor the steps taken by the Alliance and will act strictly in accordance with the provisions of the charter documents and the decisions of the CSTO supreme body, the Collective Security Council. Let me stress that the CSTO is not looking for enemies. And drawing dividing lines is not our choice.

– The CSTO is an organization that unites significant political and military potential of six states, the total population of which approaches 200 million people. At the same time, Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a leading nuclear power. How efficiently is the Organization’s potential being used?

– The Member States maintain constant contact with each other and discuss the CSTO’s activities and ways of developing it in various formats. For example, in addition to the meetings of heads of state and ministries, which are widely covered in the media, the Organization’s Secretariat and Joint Staff hold regular meetings of permanent representatives of the six states and expert consultations on various subjects. The CSTO does not, and cannot, stop discussions or eschew certain topics. All issues – first and foremost those concerning the use of its potential – are discussed openly and in detail.
The main indicator of the effectiveness of our work is the state of collective security and the level of protection of our countries and their citizens. In general, the CSTO is coping with these tasks. At the same time, we definitely have issues that require special attention, as our leaders talked about at the Moscow summit in May 2022. They concern, in particular, greater coherence in approaches and actions. As for the specific areas, these include strengthening the analysis and forecasting functions. Additional efforts in these areas will enable us to better understand the nuances of the situation and more rapidly elaborate response measures. In addition, the CSTO needs to be more active in biological security issues.

– What is the role of interparliamentary cooperation in CSTO activities?

– The CSTO has its Parliamentary Assembly. This body does a lot of work to approximate and harmonize the laws of the Member States. Incidentally, on June 6 in Yerevan I will participate in a meeting of the Council of the Parliamentary Assembly consisting of the heads of the parliaments (chambers of parliaments). The meeting plans to address a number of important issues related to the activities of our Organization.

– Whom does the CSTO see as its main international partners?

– The ability to combine capacities and work together in today’s world remains the most important factor in achieving goals. In this sense, cooperation with international forces capable of contributing to the strengthening of security in Eurasia is certainly very valuable for us. The CSTO maintains an active dialogue with many associations and individual states. However, we prioritize interaction with the UN, OSCE, SCO and CIS, including their anti-terrorist structures – the SCO RATS and the CIS ATC.
Let me draw attention to the fact that in 2004 the CSTO was granted observer status at the UN General Assembly and the principle of strict compliance with its Charter is enshrined in the founding documents of the CSTO. The UN, in turn, views our Organization as an important regional partner. In particular, the General Assembly periodically adopts renewed resolutions on the development of bilateral cooperation, and the UN Security Council meeting held in February of this year with the participation of the secretaries-general of the two organizations was dedicated to this very topic. In May, I had a very informative discussion with the SCO Secretary General, Zhang Ming, on a wide range of issues.

– Does the CSTO plan to expand in the near future? Are there such negotiations with any states right now?

– The Organization’s legal framework provides for a procedure for new states to join it. Article 19 of the Charter states that any country that shares the goals, tasks and principles of the CSTO and is willing to undertake the relevant commitments may apply for membership. The legal institution of CSTO partners and observers has also been formalized: states and international organizations that share our views and objectives have the opportunity to obtain this status and to participate in the implementation of common security tasks, taking into account their interests.
We are not currently engaged in such negotiations with anyone. At the same time, we have organized our work within the Organization and the algorithm of cooperation with external partners so that we can securely control the situation in our area of responsibility.

– The State Duma passed a law ratifying a protocol on changes to the CSTO Peacekeeping Treaty. The document creates legal conditions for participation of CSTO Collective Force in operations under the aegis of the UN. Earlier it was reported that the Organization had for many years prevented CSTO peacekeepers from taking part in operations outside its area of responsibility. How will it be now?

– The states of our Organization develop their foreign-policy strategies independently and determine the nature of relations with other countries and international organizations. The CSTO does not have the authority and has never sought to influence such decisions made in capitals. On the other hand, there is a clear understanding in CSTO States that collective participation in political and politico-military processes, including peacekeeping missions, often provides additional advantages. Therefore, CSTO peacekeeping units regularly carry out joint exercises and theoretical training, learning the best methods for carrying out tasks in their respective fields. And the level of training and coherence of these units was demonstrated in January of this year in Kazakhstan.
At the same time, the CSTO is still considering the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping contingent of the Organization outside its area of responsibility with the consent of all Member States and under a UN mandate. Incidentally, at the end of 2021, the CSTO delegation visited the UN Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where, among others, representatives of the CSTO Member States – Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan – are deployed.

– What are the most urgent modern challenges and threats to the CSTO and what are the prospects for neutralizing them?

– Quite recently, when analysing challenges and threats to the security of the Organization’s states, we made a list of conflict zones near the borders of our countries: NATO expansion in Central and Eastern Europe, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, risks associated with the situation in Afghanistan. Today, we can unfortunately state that the world security system is itself in crisis: decades-old agreements are virtually no longer effective and the level of mistrust between a number of leading actors has reached a critical point. At the same time, the aforementioned regional challenges and threats have not only not lost their acuteness, but, due to the growing global uncertainty, tend to become even more acute.
The CSTO’s fundamental position remains the same: we are convinced of the need for a political settlement of all existing contradictions and for that call upon all forces determining the state of international security. At the same time, we are taking all the necessary measures to strengthen peace and stability in the CSTO Member States and are ready to defend their interests 24/7.