Opinions & Interviews

CSTO urged to deepen cooperation with UN, SCO, other international organizations

MINSK,20 June (BelTA) – The CSTO should deepen cooperation with the UN, the SCO and other international organizations, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with the ministers of foreign affairs of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk on 20 June, BelTA has learned.

“The CSTO should deepen the cooperation with the UN, the SCO and other international organizations," the Belarusian leader said.

The president recalled that in July, the chairmanship in the SCO will pass over to Kazakhstan that will chair the CSTO in 2024. "It's an interesting configuration. This is a good opportunity to ensure effective synergies between the two organizations. Kazakhstan has sufficient expertise and experience to put this two chairmanships to good use," he said.

"We need to speak more often on behalf of the CSTO at international venues so that this voice is heard. They don't want to hear us intentionally. We are like a thorn in the side of either NATO, or the European Union, or the United States along with them. Nevertheless, our voice as a military-political bloc should be heard," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state also urged to build up the information and analytical capacities of the CSTO. “Results are not yet visible," the Belarusian leader stated. “Nothing is holding us back here. I think that at today's meeting [meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council] you could look into this issue."

"Today we are all in the war zone of information and psychological operations. Belarus has had a good share of it. Russia has recently experienced it too. You all have probably such experiences. We will not be able to shield ourselves form this. We need to step up our efforts in the information and analytical field and in cooperation with the media," Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

The president also suggested increasing the level of analytics and forecasting in order to feed member countries, including the heads of state, strong analysis materials, including forecasts. "As for information sharing, we have no problems at all with you (not only with Russia with which we generally act together)," he said. “We send any information that concerns your states (we have this formalized in law) either to the presidents, or to the foreign ministries, or to the special services. We will continue to do so."

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