Azernews.Az

On May 19, 2021, a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization was held in Dushanbe. The CSTO CFM was held under the chairmanship of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Mukhriddin. The meeting was attended by the CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.

Before the start of the CFM meeting, the Foreign Ministers were received by the Chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. At the meeting, the subject of discussion was the implementation of the Action plan for the implementation of the decisions of the meeting of the Collective Security Council and the priorities of the chairmanship of the Tajik side in the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

In this regard, in particular, the meetings of the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, held in the city of Dushanbe in April of this year, were noted.

Emomali Rahmon stressed that Tajikistan, during its chairmanship of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2021, in accordance with the identified priorities, effectively performs the functions of the chairmanship with the support of the member states.

It was emphasized that it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Organization's activities over the past period and develop a Development Strategy for the Collective Security Treaty Organization until 2025, taking into account the priorities for the future.

At the meeting it was discussed the issues of cooperation between the countries within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, including ensuring regional security, implementing the Organization's programs to strengthen the protective potential of the Tajik-Afghan border, jointly combating the threats and dangers of the world community, such as terrorism, extremism and transnational organized crime, especially drug trafficking.

During the CFM meeting, the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the CSTO member states discussed the state and prospects for the development of the international and regional situation and its impact on the security of the Organization's member states.

Following the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan noted that the Tajik chairmanship in the CSTO is aimed, first of all, at the further development of the system of collective security and regional stability. According to him, the issue related to the situation in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan occupied an important place in today's meeting of the CSTO CFM.

“We stated that the Afghan problem directly affects the situation in the Central Asian region of collective security. We examined this issue through the prism of the withdrawal of Western coalition military units from Afghanistan. In general, they came to a common opinion on the importance of strengthening the southern borders of the CSTO. Necessary measures are being taken in this direction,” said the Chairman of the CSTO CFM. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Sirojiddin Mukhriddin. He said that the Tajik side is advancing work on the coordination of the CSTO Targeted Interstate Program to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan section of the border.

During the current CFM meeting, 4 statements were adopted:

- "On the 75th Anniversary of the Judgment of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg.". - The document says that the preparation and conduct of the Nuremberg process is viewed as a unique experience of professional cooperation of the international community. States, different in their social structure, culture, traditions and historical destinies, have united to judge and pass sentences on the punishment of those who unleashed the most terrible war in the history of mankind. In the Statement, the world community is called upon to respect and protect the legacy of the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, as well as to intensify efforts to disseminate objective information about the crimes of Nazism in order to prevent the spread of neo-Nazi ideology, movements and organizations that may pose a threat to the peaceful coexistence of peoples.

- "On strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention". - It attaches great importance to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction (BWC) as one of the pillars of the international security architecture. The need to comply with and strengthen the BWC is emphasized, including through the adoption of a legally binding Protocol to the Convention, which provides an effective mechanism for verifying compliance with the BWC

The document states that the rapid development of science and technology in areas related to the BWC requires increased attention from the states parties to the Convention.

- "On cooperation of the CSTO with states and international organizations". The CSTO member states speak about their interest in developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with third countries and international organizations in maintaining peace and stability in the Eurasian region and confirm their readiness to build such cooperation on the basis of universally recognized norms and principles of international law, refusal of confrontation, resolving world problems exclusively by political and diplomatic means in accordance with the provisions and purposes of the UN Charter. It is obvious that it is possible to effectively counter traditional and new challenges and threats only through the consolidation of international efforts.

- Statement by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the CSTO member states in connection with the extension of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States on the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms of April 8, 2010. It says that the extension of the Treaty contributes to maintaining transparency and predictability in relations between the two largest nuclear powers, strengthening international security and restoring confidence, and also creates conditions for comprehensive negotiations on future arms control with the obligatory consideration of all factors affecting the situation in this area.