Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxim Ryzhenkov held talks with new Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Taalatbek Masadykov on 6 April, BelTA learned from the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Belarusian minister of foreign affairs congratulated Taalatbek Masadykov on his appointment to the post and assured him of support from the Republic of Belarus. During the talks, the parties had a substantive exchange of views on current international issues, focusing on the military-political situation within the CSTO’s area of responsibility.
The Belarusian minister of foreign affairs emphasized the importance of developing CSTO cooperation with other international organizations involved in ensuring security at the regional and global levels, primarily the United Nations.
The minister noted the need to step up collective efforts by CSTO member states to ensure that the Organization aligns with current geopolitical realities and can effectively respond to modern security challenges and threats.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a regional international organization in collective security that includes several post-Soviet states. Its declared goals are to strengthen peace, international and regional security and stability, and to collectively protect the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of member states, with priority given to political means.
The CSTO activities began on 15 May 1992, with the signing of the Collective Security Treaty in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The highest body is the Collective Security Council, which appoints the secretary general of the organization.