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ANALYSIS: CSTO INTENT ON ENHANCING POLITICAL, MILITARY COOPERATION
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
07.09.11 | 15:26
Photo: www.president.am
CSTO is a 7-member coalition for the security of post-soviet states.
December will see another summit of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), a Russia-dominated defense alliance of seven
former Soviet states, which is likely to focus on the possibility of
strengthening potential by having its powers expanded.
(The military-political alliance includes Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Armenia).
Moscow suggests negotiating with NATO and "passing to the CSTO
the peacekeeping mandate in the former Soviet space." It is also
suggested that the already existing Rapid Reaction Force could be
used in preventing coups in member countries.
"The matter concerns measures related to improving the regulatory
framework, the possibility of making decisions and using the potential
of the CSTO for the protection of the constitutional order of member
countries," said CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha.
No less interesting is the fact that Moscow proposes abolishing the
principle of consensus in making decisions and replacing it with a
simple majority vote. In other words, while until now the CSTO wasn't
entitled to meddle in republics' affairs unless there was a consensus,
now theoretically it may introduce troops into any member state with
the consent of as few as only two presidents.
A source at the Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed plans to reform
the CSTO and added that due to changes in the organization it may
lose one of its members - Uzbekistan, which opposes decision-making
by a majority rather than a consensus.
Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Defense Ministry of
Armenia has commented on the initiatives regarding possible changes
in the CSTO. The issue of official Yerevan's attitude towards CSTO
troops possible peacekeeping missions and acting as gendarmes does
not become a subject of public debate in Armenia, even though it is
directly related to the country's national security.
"Active discussions have already begun within the Russian government
agencies regarding how to reform the organization so as to make it
more efficient in safeguarding Moscow's interests in the post-Soviet
space," writes the Russian newspaper Kommersant. It is no accident
that the matter concerns only "protection of Moscow's interests."
Russia is clearly stepping up its influence in the post-Soviet
territory. In the Russian press one can often come across headlines
such as "Front Against Russia", with which Russian political pundits
express their outrage at the fact that post-Soviet countries resist
Russian expansion and do not want to "relax and have fun".
Ukraine, for instance, is blamed for not wishing to join the Customs
Union with Russia and does not want to give up its pipes to Russia's
state-run gas monopolist Gazprom. Belarus has already bowed down and
Russia has received everything it wanted from it. Tajikistan, too,
has extended the term of the deployment of a Russian military base
in its territory for 49 years.
Russia and six other former Soviet republics plan to strengthen their
political and military cooperation, as well as cooperation between
their law-enforcement agencies to protect each other from the danger
of riots like those that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya,
writes Bloomberg.
According to Bordyuzha, the alliance of former Soviet republics has
agreed to create a mechanism that allows protecting "constitutional
order at the request of a lawfully elected head of state." Cooperation
could include the provision of political, law-enforcement or military
support, he stressed.
Last year the CSTO decided to create peacekeeping forces and re-equip
their Rapid Reaction Force. Now, as Bordyuzha said, it will add to
its tasks counteraction against possible riots in member states.
"The whole system of crisis response that was enhanced last year
focuses on the prevention of threats to security and stability,"
the official said. "And this is primarily an internal problem."
By Naira Hayrumyan
ArmeniaNow
07.09.11 | 15:26
Photo: www.president.am
CSTO is a 7-member coalition for the security of post-soviet states.
December will see another summit of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), a Russia-dominated defense alliance of seven
former Soviet states, which is likely to focus on the possibility of
strengthening potential by having its powers expanded.
(The military-political alliance includes Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Armenia).
Moscow suggests negotiating with NATO and "passing to the CSTO
the peacekeeping mandate in the former Soviet space." It is also
suggested that the already existing Rapid Reaction Force could be
used in preventing coups in member countries.
"The matter concerns measures related to improving the regulatory
framework, the possibility of making decisions and using the potential
of the CSTO for the protection of the constitutional order of member
countries," said CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha.
No less interesting is the fact that Moscow proposes abolishing the
principle of consensus in making decisions and replacing it with a
simple majority vote. In other words, while until now the CSTO wasn't
entitled to meddle in republics' affairs unless there was a consensus,
now theoretically it may introduce troops into any member state with
the consent of as few as only two presidents.
A source at the Russian Foreign Ministry has confirmed plans to reform
the CSTO and added that due to changes in the organization it may
lose one of its members - Uzbekistan, which opposes decision-making
by a majority rather than a consensus.
Neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Defense Ministry of
Armenia has commented on the initiatives regarding possible changes
in the CSTO. The issue of official Yerevan's attitude towards CSTO
troops possible peacekeeping missions and acting as gendarmes does
not become a subject of public debate in Armenia, even though it is
directly related to the country's national security.
"Active discussions have already begun within the Russian government
agencies regarding how to reform the organization so as to make it
more efficient in safeguarding Moscow's interests in the post-Soviet
space," writes the Russian newspaper Kommersant. It is no accident
that the matter concerns only "protection of Moscow's interests."
Russia is clearly stepping up its influence in the post-Soviet
territory. In the Russian press one can often come across headlines
such as "Front Against Russia", with which Russian political pundits
express their outrage at the fact that post-Soviet countries resist
Russian expansion and do not want to "relax and have fun".
Ukraine, for instance, is blamed for not wishing to join the Customs
Union with Russia and does not want to give up its pipes to Russia's
state-run gas monopolist Gazprom. Belarus has already bowed down and
Russia has received everything it wanted from it. Tajikistan, too,
has extended the term of the deployment of a Russian military base
in its territory for 49 years.
Russia and six other former Soviet republics plan to strengthen their
political and military cooperation, as well as cooperation between
their law-enforcement agencies to protect each other from the danger
of riots like those that toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya,
writes Bloomberg.
According to Bordyuzha, the alliance of former Soviet republics has
agreed to create a mechanism that allows protecting "constitutional
order at the request of a lawfully elected head of state." Cooperation
could include the provision of political, law-enforcement or military
support, he stressed.
Last year the CSTO decided to create peacekeeping forces and re-equip
their Rapid Reaction Force. Now, as Bordyuzha said, it will add to
its tasks counteraction against possible riots in member states.
"The whole system of crisis response that was enhanced last year
focuses on the prevention of threats to security and stability,"
the official said. "And this is primarily an internal problem."