Readiness to Act Together: CSTO Session Comes to an End in Astana

Qasym-Jomart Toqayev spoke at the CSTO Collective Security Council meeting in an expanded format, Orda.kz reports.

The President of Kazakhstan thanked the participants for supporting Kazakhstan’s chairing of the CSTO. 

It is proposed to hold the next session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in the Kyrgyz Republic in the fourth quarter of 2025. If there are no objections, I propose to consider this matter agreed upon and formalize it in the relevant protocol decision, said Qasym-Jomart Toqayev.

The President noted that a thorough exchange of views on international and regional security topics was in the narrow format, and the main results of the CSTO's activities this year under Kazakhstan's chairing were discussed.

The results of the meeting once again confirmed our firm readiness to act together to prevent challenges and threats to collective security. <...> Our common assessments of the current situation and visions for the further development of the CSTO are reflected in the declaration of the Collective Security Council, developed at the initiative of Kazakhstan.

The participants emphasized celebrating the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The heroism of veterans, the labor feat of home front workers will forever remain in our memory. They are an inexhaustible source of immense pride and respect for all of us. On the eve of this significant date, we consider it important to adopt a statement by the CSTO Collective Security Council, as well as to approve a plan of events to celebrate the anniversary. I am confident that the proposals and initiatives put forward today will be implemented in the interests of the states participating in the organization, added the Head of State.

Qasym-Jomart Toqayev emphasized that during Kazakhstan's CSTO chairing, about 60 events were held in the statutory areas of cooperation. 

General assessments of the Organization's member states formed the basis of a series of political documents adopted this year.

Among them are statements on international information security, space cooperation, and the situation in the Middle East, as well as in connection with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders.

Toqayev stated that close attention was paid throughout the year to combat training of forces and means of the collective security system.

Today, we will sign two protocols to international agreements on the status of the CSTO forces and assets and the transportation of military contingents. <...> On our initiative, this year for the first time consultations were held on combating the illegal circulation of weapons, ammunition and organized transnational crime, the issue of creating a specialized working group within the CSTO is being worked out. Under the coordination of the Kazakh chairing, work on the CSTO target interstate program to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border was completed. Incidentally, the document has been in development since 2013. Today we will sign this important decision aimed at strengthening the southern borders of the organization, the President concluded.

The next CSTO Collective Security Council session will be held in Kyrgyzstan.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova