On 13 February, this year, the Chairman of the CSTO Collective Security Council, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, and the CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov met in Minsk.
The Secretary General presented for approval the Action Plan to Implement the Decisions of the November 2022 Session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.
Welcoming Imangali Tasmagambetov, who recently assumed the post of the CSTO Secretary General, Alexander Lukashenko noted that they had long known each other, although they had not come face to face. But while working in other positions, I. Tasmagambetov interacted with government representatives and other officials.
According to the press service of the Belarusian head of state, the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko called for more unity in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. "Challenges are enough. We took the risk in our presidency of the program - to try to solve these problems that we have, especially on the borders of the CSTO member states. I do not speak of your experience in vain. Your memory is excellent. You know well both the Caucasus and Central Asia. We have problems there. Let's try to resolve them and unite the Collective Security Treaty Organization as much as possible in these difficult times. You see what is happening on the perimeter," the Belarusian leader said.
In turn, the Belarusian state news agency "BelTA” reports "that the CSTO Secretary General has informed the President of the Republic of Belarus that he assumed his duties on January 10, this year. "Since then I have been closely involved in the process. The most important thing is to prepare an action plan and the main priority issues of Belarus' presidency in 2023," Imangali Tasmagambetov said. According to him, at this stage they have managed to take into account all the decisions of the November session and the priorities of the Belarusian presidency in the CSTO.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Sergei Aleinik.
After the meeting, the CSTO Secretary General briefed the media on the results of the meeting. Imangali Tasmagambetov noted that the CSTO's solid multifunctional capabilities allowed the organization to respond to a wide range of contemporary growing challenges and threats. "In order to strengthen the existing capabilities in the military sphere practical steps are envisaged, which are primarily aimed at ensuring combat readiness of the collective forces of the organization. In this regard, this year the following trainings are planned in the territory of Belarus - "Interaction", "Echelon" and "Search"," the CSTO Secretary General told journalists.
ОHe stressed that one of the most important activities of the Organization would also be improving work in the areas of combating terrorism and transnational crime, illicit drug trafficking, illegal migration, as well as in the field of information provision, the CSTO cooperation with major regional and international structures, including the UN, the CIS, the SCO, the OSCE will continue. "Our goal is to provide a foreign policy spotlight on all the capabilities of the Organization and the efforts it undertakes to ensure regional security. At the 77th session of the UN, the potential of the CSTO was highly appreciated by the adoption of a corresponding UN and CSTO resolution," the CSTO Secretary General noted.
Imangali Tasmagambetov has informed the President of Belarus about the steps being taken by the CSTO Secretariat to include the CSTO peacekeeping capabilities in UN peacekeeping operations.
Following the meeting, the President of the Republic of Belarus approved the Action plan to Implement the Decisions of the November (2022) Session of the CSTO Collective Security Council and fulfill the priority activities of the CSTO during the period of Belarus' presidency.
