Expert: Belarus supports inclusion of CSTO into new Eurasian security architecture
The preservation of the CSTO, strengthening its potential and image in the international arena are the most important constructive results of the Belarusian chairmanship in the organisation – as noted by Igor Avlasenko, a laureate of the Special Fund of Belarus’ President for Support of Talented Students, scholarship holder of the President of Belarus, candidate of historical sciences, lecturer at the Belarusian State University’s International Relations Faculty
“Through Solidarity and Co-operation to Peace and Security was Belarus’ motto while it presided in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. The Foreign Ministry defined the fundamental goals of Belarus’ chairmanship. With regard to the internal activity, they included an increase in the cohesion of the CSTO member states, settlement of their contradictions in order to strengthen the organisation, the provision of security and stability in its area of responsibility. In turn, the strengthening of the role and importance of the CSTO in the system of international relations, as well as the comprehensive compliance of the CSTO activities with the context of regional and global security were outlined for the external policy,” Mr. Avlasenko noted.
At the same time, Belarus’ chairmanship took place in a difficult period of the crisis of the European security system, the emergence of new dividing lines in Eastern Europe and the transformation of international relations. The expert explained, “Already last year, against the background of the escalation of the regional military-political situation, Minsk and Moscow took concrete measures to intensify the creation of a regional group of troops. This year, the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation have continued to strengthen co-operation in the military sphere, which is actually the foundation of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.”
Mr. Avlasenko added the CSTO internal problems need not to be kept secret, “Azerbaijan's military operation in Karabakh, conducted in September, led to serious internal political debates in Armenia, during which proposals were made to withdraw from the CSTO. Problems of the kind come to the fore from time to time in the relations between the members of our bloc. A year ago, there were clashes on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. With this in view, Belarus’ initiatives during its chairmanship in 2023 were aimed at minimising such trends and promoting cohesion among the CSTO members. In particular, the mechanisms of interaction between the states continued to be improved, including in the field of information exchange, combating hybrid threats, drug trafficking, and terrorism.”
The expert believes the CSTO aims not only at the collective protection against external attacks from third states, but also at the countering of the external threats that can lead to destabilisation of the socio-political situation, as well as cause long-term economic damage to the member states.
“Due to the sharp aggravation in relations between Moscow and Minsk with Western countries, the Republic of Belarus has shifted its focus to a broader context: the Eurasian one. The position of the Belarusian leadership is to include the CSTO in the new architecture of Eurasian security, to strengthen its interaction with the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation and other regional structures. Almost a year ago, Aleksandr Lukashenko made an original proposal to hold a simultaneous summit of three organisations of the emerging new Eurasian order: the SCO, BRICS and EAEU. In this context, the pairing of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation with the aforementioned formats would seem quite organic,” the expert noted.
According to Mr. Avlasenko, the high-level international conference – Eurasian Security: Reality and Prospects in Transforming World – was of great importance. Held on October 26th-27th in Minsk, the event actually resumed the tradition of holding large expert forums on regional and global security issues in Belarus (such as the European Security: Move Away from Edge of Abyss and Fight Against Terrorism Through Innovative Approaches and Use of New and Emerging Technologies international conferences held in 2019).
“This tradition was previously interrupted for a while by the coronavirus pandemic and the further aggravation of the regional military-political and social situation. This practice is now being resumed, and it now has a broader context: the Eurasian one. Unsurprisingly, the discussion of the CSTO role in the new security environment also occupied a prominent place at that high-level forum attended by experts and politicians from different countries,” Mr. Avlasenko said.
For a long period, the North Atlantic Alliance refused to maintain contacts and a full-fledged dialogue on security issues with the CSTO, and the expert commented, “The aggravation of the regional military-political situation and the indirect participation of Western countries in the current armed confrontation between the Russian Federation and Ukraine has further reduced the likelihood [of a dialogue]. However, this dialogue will probably become necessary and inevitable in the near future, when the issue of the contours of the new security architecture in Europe comes on the agenda. The Republic of Belarus is ready to fulfil its role as a mediator and provide a platform for such contacts – as it was previously done in attempts to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.”
