Opinions & Interviews

ST PETERSBURG, 13 October (BelTA) – The status of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should be enhanced, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk told the media after the meeting of the CSTO PA Council meeting in St Petersburg on 13 October, BelTA has learned.

According to the vice speaker, at the previous meeting Belarus put forward initiatives on cooperation in the organization. “Belarus, first of all, suggested intensifying the activity of the CSTO, since not all its participants work in sync and efficiently. Secondly, we all take note of new threats and we are concerned about cyber security and hybrid wars. This needs special preparation and cooperation. Unfortunately, every year the number of conflicts and hot spots increases. We have put forward a lot of proposals in this respect,” the vice speaker said.

“There is a wish to enhance the status of the CSTO, strengthen it both in organization and financial support. The issue is difficult. We have not come up to the final decisions yet. They are likely to be adopted in early 2018,” Boleslav Pirshtuk said.

Apart from the meeting of the CSTO PA Council, the Belarusian parliamentary delegation is taking part in the tenth plenary session of the CSTO PA on 13 October. Participants are considering the CSTO draft model laws and recommendations. These are the model laws on the state secret, energy security, humanitarian assistance and the recommendations related to the harmonization of the legislations of the CSTO member states in part of military personnel training.