Introduction to the Collective Security Treaty Organization：
The Collective Security Treaty was signed on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent by the heads of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The key provision of the Treaty is Article 4, according to which: "If one of the States Parties is subjected to aggression by any State or group of States, this shall be regarded as aggression against all States Parties to this Treaty.
In the event of an act of aggression against any of the States Parties, all other States Parties will provide the necessary assistance, including military assistance, as well as support by means at their disposal in the exercise of the right of collective defense in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations".
The Treaty also establishes a mechanism for consultations in the event of a threat to the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of one or more participating States, or a threat to international peace and security.
In September 1993, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia acceded to the Treaty. The Treaty entered into force on April 20, 1994 for a period of five years. In 1999, six states (except Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan) signed the Protocol on the extension of the Treaty.
On May 14, 2002, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was established, with the adoption of its Charter on October 7, 2002. Since 2 December 2004, the Organization has had observer status in the CSTO.
Armenia is a founding state of the CSTO. Membership in the CSTO is one of the components of Armenia's security.
The Collective Security Council (CSTO), consisting of the heads of the member states, is the supreme body of the CSTO. The CSC is chaired by the head of the state presiding over the Organization.
The Council considers fundamental issues of the Organization's activities and makes decisions aimed at the implementation of its goals and objectives, as well as ensures coordination and joint activities of the member states for the implementation of these goals.
The consultative and executive bodies of the CSTO are the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (CMFA), which coordinates the interaction of member states in the field of foreign policy, the Council of Ministers of Defense (CMD), which ensures the interaction of member states in the field of military policy, military construction and military-technical cooperation, and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils (CSCS), which coordinates the interaction of member states in the field of ensuring their national security.
The CSTO Permanent Council is responsible for co-ordinating co-operation between member States in implementing decisions taken by the Organization's bodies between Council sessions. The Permanent Council consists of Permanent and Plenipotentiary Representatives.
The CSTO Secretariat is a permanent working body of the Organization for providing organizational, informational, analytical and advisory support for the activities of the Organization's bodies.
The CSTO Joint Staff is a permanent working body of the Organization responsible for preparing proposals on the military component of the CSTO, organizing and co-ordinating the practical implementation of decisions by CSTO bodies on military co-operation.
The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly is a body for interparliamentary cooperation. The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly discusses issues of cooperation between CSTO member States in international, politico-military, legal and other areas and develops relevant recommendations, which it forwards to the Collective Security Council, other CSTO bodies and national parliaments.
The CSTO's subsidiary bodies are:
The CSTO Interstate Commission on Military-Economic Cooperation considers and elaborates recommendations aimed at ensuring multilateral military-economic cooperation in a number of areas.
ICMEC meetings are held as required, as a rule at least twice a year. To manage the day-to-day activities of the Commission and ensure interaction between the competent bodies, the Commission decides to appoint an ICES Secretary from among the staff of the CSTO Secretariat.
The Coordination Council for Emergency Situations is responsible for coordinating the interaction of the authorized bodies of the CSTO member States in the field of emergency situations.
The Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Authorities for Combating Illicit Drug Trafficking (CCCAD) of the CSTO member states considers issues related to the improvement and harmonization of national normative legal acts regulating drug trafficking, coordinates the work of the competent authorities for combating drug trafficking of the CSTO member states, cooperates with the relevant bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Central Asian Cooperation Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (OSCE).
The Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Authorities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization member States on Combating Illegal Migration assists in the preparation and conduct of coordinated preventive measures and special operations to combat illegal migration from third countries in the territory of the CSTO member States; ensures cooperation between the competent authorities in order to enhance the effectiveness of countering illegal migration and related rights.
Working groups on specific areas of cooperation function under the statutory bodies:
Working Group on Afghanistan;
Military Committee;
A working group on information policy and information security.
Under the auspices of the CSTO, the regional anti-drug operation "Channel", the operation "Illegal" to counter illegal migration, the operation "Proxy" to suppress crimes in the sphere of modern information technologies, and the "Mercenary" complex of operational and preventive measures are being carried out to suppress recruitment and block channels for the entry/exit of citizens of CSTO member States for participation in terrorist activities and to neutralize the resource base of international terrorist organizations in the CSTO area.
The CSTO Collective Rapid Deployment Forces were formed on the basis of the decision of the CSTO SCB of February 4, 2009 and are designed to respond promptly to challenges and threats to the security of CSTO member States.
The Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian Collective Security Region were formed on the basis of the Decision of the CSTO SCB of May 25, 2001 and are intended to carry out tasks to ensure the military security of the CSTO member States of the Central Asian Collective Security Region.
An agreement on CSTO peacekeeping activities was signed on October 6, 2007.
The CSTO Collective Aviation Forces were formed on the basis of the Decision of the CSTO SCB of December 23, 2014․ in order to improve the efficiency of transportation and support the actions of the forces and means of the CSTO collective security system.
The delegations headed by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence and the Secretary of the Security Council took part in the session of the JPC on 8 November 2018, as well as in the meetings of the Ministerial Council, the Ministerial Council and the Security Council during the year, during which the problems of international and regional security, the improvement of mechanisms for countering challenges and threats, as well as the development of the Organization's military potential were discussed.
During the session of the CSTO, a decision was made to legally formalize the status of Observer to the CSTO and the status of Partner of the Organization, which will contribute to further intensification of the Organization's work in the international sphere.
What role does Kyrgyzstan play in the CSTO?
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) actually began its work in May 1992, when the relevant treaty was signed in Tashkent, which laid the foundation for the creation of a modern security architecture in Eurasia. Based on this document, the CSTO was established in 2012, whose members are currently the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia.
The CSTO and Russia are now the main guarantors of Kyrgyzstan's security. Cooperation between our countries both within the CSTO and on a bilateral basis protects the republic from external and internal threats and attempts by the collective West to destabilize the situation in the country and organize another "color revolution".
These guarantees, both at the level of the entire Eurasian space and in relation to Kyrgyzstan, have been repeatedly confirmed in practice. For example, the CSTO has adopted an Anti-Drug Strategy for 2021-2025, within the framework of which, in September 2023, the Organization conducted a sub-regional anti-drug operation "Channel-Preception". At that time, 897 kilograms of narcotic drugs were seized and 854 drug-related crimes were detected. During the CSTO "Unbreakable Brotherhood" exercise, the military regularly practises tasks to prevent illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs. In 2023, the exercises were held in two stages, in Belarus and Kyrgyzstan.
According to Kazakhstan's National Security Committee, the greatest threat to CSTO member countries, including the Kyrgyz Republic, is the growing potential of Wilayat Khorasan, a branch of the international terrorist organization Islamic State (banned in Russia). According to various estimates, the number of fighters of this organization has recently increased from 500 to 6,000 trained terrorists.
Apparently, this is largely why CSTO exercises in 2024 will focus on Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan will host the traditional exercises Interaction, Search and Echelon, Tajikistan will host Rubezh, and Kazakhstan will host Unbreakable Brotherhood.
We should not forget that the Russian military base Kant in Kyrgyzstan is the main facility of the CSTO's unified air defense system. In January 2022, the airbase's flight personnel were part of the peacekeeping contingent of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which assisted the Kazakh authorities in repelling a terrorist threat and an attempted coup d'état in the country. The peacekeepers also included servicemen from the Kyrgyz Republic.
Unfortunately, today there is a real danger that Eurasia has turned into a space of large-scale hybrid warfare on the part of the West. Therefore, the CSTO faces the task of developing the concept and categories of hybrid warfare, taking into account Eurasian specifics.
Especially considering that the CSTO is the only active military-political bloc in the former Soviet Union. None of the Central Asian countries, including Kyrgyzstan, has the appropriate level of technological, organizational, military-technical potential to counter modern large-scale threats alone.
However, the Kyrgyz Republic now occupies one of the most important places in the structure of the organization. Since January 2024, the position of one of the CSTO Deputy Secretaries General has been transferred to Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov approved the candidacy of Taalatbek Masadykov, the President's Special Representative for Special Assignments, for this position. And in February 2024, Masadykov was also entrusted with the functions of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the CSTO.
All this makes Kyrgyzstan one of the most important elements of collective security in the Central Asian region.
It is reported that the command and staff exercise with the CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO Collective Forces) "Interaction - 2024", the special exercise with the forces and means of intelligence "Search - 2024", the forces and means of logistical support of the CSTO Troops (Collective Forces) "Echelon - 2024" are held in accordance with the Plan of joint training of management bodies and formations of the forces and means of the collective security system of the Collective Security Treaty Organization for 2024 in the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic in the period from 3 to 15 September this year.
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