Lukashenko initiated creation of mechanism to control new deadly weapons
At today’s meeting of the CSTO Council in Astana, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to a number of new tasks that the parties would have to solve when forming a new architecture of Eurasian security and strengthening the Collective Treaty Security Organisation
Point one
According to the Belarusian leader, it is necessary to strengthen the interaction of international organisations working in the Eurasian space. “In this regard, I propose to work out the issue of organising a meeting of senior officials of the regional organisations: ASEAN, CSTO, CICA, SCO, CIS, and the Gulf Co-operation Council. We have a proven mechanism for regular meetings of the leadership of CIS, CSTO and SCO. Why not try to expand this format in order to share unique interregional experience? We are ready to hold this meeting in Belarus upon your consent,” he said.
There, the parties could also discuss issues of enhancing co-operation between CSTO and SCO on international security issues in line with the decision of the Collective Security Council on the development of co-operation between CSTO, CIS, and SCO. The Belarusian leader stressed that the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation has a broad agenda on security issues in the Eurasian space, and this potential needs to be used.
Point two.
The necessity has emerged within CSTO to seriously address the issues of artificial intelligence and deepen co-operation in the field of information security. With this in view, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that this idea is not new, but the parties have not yet started practical steps towards it within the framework of the organisation.
“Meanwhile, Western countries are already dealing with this problem with might and main. We also need to think about how to increase the practical impact of the 2017 agreement on co-operation between the CSTO member states in the field of information security. We must keep pace with the rapid development of cyber technologies in order to effectively respond to the challenges and threats to the security of our countries in this area,” the Belarusian leader addressed the meeting participants.
Point three.
According to the President, new deadly types of weapons capable of destroying all of humanity are likely to be available soon. Laser, hypersonic, quantum, electromagnetic and other advanced developments have already been added to this arsenal.
“In our opinion, CSTO can and should be at the forefront of efforts to create a common contractual and legal mechanism that will allow for the control of such weapons in the future. This should be done now. At least, we need to start working in this direction,” the Belarusian leader said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced that the above steps will not just strengthen security in the region, but also contribute to the cohesion of the CSTO member states and enhance the image of the organisation.
In conclusion, the Belarusian leader once again congratulated the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on the CSTO chairmanship, which is nearing completion. He also wished Sadyr Zhaparov success in his chairmanship of the organisation in 2025, “We will try to do everything to ensure that his chairmanship is equally successful.”
