The CSTO stands for preserving the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, as well as a substantive dialogue with Europe and America for the sake of creating a single and indivisible security space. The members of the organization support the efforts by Russia and Kazakhstan to settle the situation in Syria and agree to increase mutual arms supplies. These are all quotes from the declaration of the CSTO Summit, which was held in Astana today. The leaders of six states, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussed both regional security and key global issues.
Alexander Balitskiy is reporting from Astana on the conclusions they've made.
No matter how hard the ground services of the Astana airport tried, the red carpet became white again in seconds because of the snow. But a blizzard and a piercing cold wind are certainly not about political relations. Besides Russia and Kazakhstan, the CSTO includes Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Armenia. When the word "security" is the keyword in the name of the organization, it's easy to understand that the negotiations will be mostly held behind closed doors. But some details still became known.
- What did Putin talk about?
Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary for the President of Russia: "He told the participants in the summit in detail about the situation with strategic stability and arms control in the light of the Americans’ decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty, about the chances of starting a dialogue with the US about the INF Treaty. He also provided some details on the Syrian issue. Other regional conflicts were also discussed".
The leaders signed about twenty important documents and a political declaration, the latter of which talks about the importance of strict performance in all international obligations. The treaty on intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, which the US wants to withdraw from, is a serious threat to the entire international community.
Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia: "Our common position is that the treaty is one of the most important instruments for maintaining international security and stability and that it is very important to preserve it".
This is the matter which Putin and Trump will discuss in private. Minister Lavrov confirmed today that the meeting between them will take place on the margins of the G20 summit. The prerequisites for dialogue have finally appeared.
Nikolai Patrushev Secretary, of the Security Council, thinks so after meeting with his US counterpart Bolton.
Nikolai Patrushev: "Dialogue was held on many issues. Each party defended its own interests. It’s important that the other party could hear it, that those concerns that exist. Whether there will be progress and in what direction remains to be seen".
However, the main thing at the CSTO summit is regional security: military cooperation, the fight against terrorism, and the situation in Afghanistan. Intelligence reports on ISIL's headquarters in the immediate vicinity of the borders of the Central Asia region are a matter of concern. A reliable barrier is needed.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan: "Kazakhstan considers the CSTO as an authoritative and efficient structure. Preparation for the full-fledged functioning of the CSTO crisis response center, designed to expand opportunities to identify potential threats to our security, is being completed".
That's why joint drills are being conducted. Here's the drill that was recently conducted at the Chebarkul training ground.
The situation in Syria is at the center of attention of the leaders of states. Astana is directly related to the Syrian settlement, because it was here, where at the initiative of Russia, Turkey, and Iran almost two years ago, they first managed to have the Syrian government and the opposition at the negotiating table. The Astana format is the beginning of the Syrian political dialogue, and today it was also mentioned.
On December 6th, the leaders will meet again, but in St. Petersburg, where the chairmanship of the CSTO will be officially transferred from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan. They'll also elect a new general secretary of the organization there.
Alexander Balitskiy, Sergey Eliseev, Sergey Zavidov, and Alexandra Terpugova, Vesti, Astana, Kazakhstan.
