DUSHANBE, 03.02.2021 (NIAT Khovar) – Yesterday, the Russian state news agency TASS hosted an online briefing on the military-political situation in the area of responsibility of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and around it, on the results of the CSTO’s activities in 2020, and tasks for 2021.

The CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas spoke about the organization’s foreign policy, the development of the military component of the organization, countering modern challenges and threats, as well as the preparation of peacekeeping forces for participation in operations under the auspices of the UN, reports Khovar’s correspondent Khushnud Rahmatulloev, who took part in the briefing.

Zas noted that due to its location, Tajikistan is provided with the task of not only protecting its own security, but also the collective security of the organization.

«This understanding exists in our organization at all levels, including at the level of heads of state. We are implementing a plan for additional measures to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border, which was approved by the heads of state back in 2019. We regularly conduct exercises near the border line to improve the readiness of our joint forces,» he said.

«This year we intend to conduct a series of exercises with the collective rapid reaction forces to better the localization and suppression of border conflicts,» Zas added.

«I want to emphasize that this problem always finds understanding and is on the agenda of our organization, both in the political aspect and in the practical sense,» he emphasized.

Zas highlighted the urgency of building the CSTO’s potential to effectively counter threats and security challenges in the current tense situation in the world and in the region.

The event was held in an online format with the inclusion of journalists from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Questions related to the Karabakh conflict, conducting exercises on the territory of the CSTO member states, and further improving interaction.