/ world today news/ NATO forces have never been used as intended, to protect the member countries. All Alliance operations consisted of either invading third countries or, again, invading third countries but under the dubious pretext of defending an ally that those countries did not threaten. CSTO forces were actually used in January 2022 to protect the sovereignty of Kazakhstan. When local radicals rebelled, at the request of the authorities, help arrived as soon as possible.
Exactly 21 years ago, on May 14, 2002, the Collective Security Treaty Organization was established in Moscow at a session of the Collective Security Council. Its founders were Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and its basis was the then-existing Collective Security Treaty.
Accordingly, the CSTO grew into a full-fledged Organization, which was implemented institutionally – with a secretariat, collective rapid response forces and various councils on the profile areas of threats.
And there were many threats. Radical Islamism, drug trafficking, territorial conflicts and, of course, claims by a number of great powers. A number of them (mainly the United States) saw the post-Soviet space only as a tool in their policy of containing Russia and China, which means that they were interested “the backyard” on both sides to be in the most chaotic state.
Of course, Russia could turn a blind eye to this. She could be guided by the principles that were constantly imposed on her in the West that her interests ended at the Russian borders. Or to follow the advice of individual Russian experts, who urged them not to “feed” their neighbors, but simply to protect themselves from them.
However, Vladimir Putin did it differently. He created the CSTO – the largest military-political organization in the Eurasian space, which has been effectively protecting this space from all kinds of threats – external and internal – for 21 years. And it is the most important force that prevents the entire Eurasian continent from sinking into chaos and instability.
ODKS – alive and practically applicable
Based on this, some people compare CSTO and NATO. However, these comparisons are misplaced.
First, ODKS is a living organization. All its members see the necessity of continuing its activities.
„ For many, the CSTO is the only way to ensure their security in the face of their own weak army in the presence of obvious external or internal threats. says Nikita Mendkovic, head of the Eurasian Analytical Club, to the REGNUM agency. – For Russia, this is an important mechanism for tracking and stopping threats in the distant approaches to its borders. For example, on the border with Afghanistan, not in Southern Siberia.
Therefore, the leadership of the CSTO does not need to invent any external enemies for the consolidation of states – there are no shortage of threats to the post-Soviet space. Threats, both classic and network (in the form of terrorist groups).
Therefore, the various exercises of the CSTO are not theoretical in nature against a virtually non-existent adversary, but rather applied in nature.
Secondorganizations have very different goals. “NATO is an aggressive bloc that ensures Anglo-American neo-colonial dominance in a number of regions. CSTO is a defensive alliance that protects the territory of the participating countries from terrorism and other external threats. says Nikita Mendkovic.
Accordingly, the Alliance is included as an instrument of US global foreign policy, its members try to be involved in conflicts that are far beyond their borders (Afghanistan, China). The CSTO, on the other hand, operates exclusively in its region, while Russia does not force member countries to participate in its global foreign policy projects.
ThirdNATO is not so much a military-political bloc of sovereign states as a tool for American control over European allies. However, the CSTO is built on the principle of sovereignty.
According to the statute, the objectives of the Organization are to strengthen peace, international and regional security and stability, to protect on a collective basis the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states.
But at the same time, the principles of respect for independence, voluntary participation, equality of rights and obligations of member countries, as well as non-interference in matters falling under national jurisdiction, are very clearly spelled out there. And the CSTO has never allowed any doubt that the prescribed principles are contrary to real cases.
And finally, fourththe difference between the organizations is in the actual cases themselves. NATO forces have never been used as intended, to protect member countries. All Alliance operations consist of either invading third countries (Yugoslavia) or, again, invading third countries under the dubious pretext of defending an ally that those countries did not threaten (Afghanistan).
CSTO forces in January 2022 were actually used to protect one of the member states, in the case of Kazakhstan. When local radicals rebelled in the republic, the CSTO Rapid Reaction Force (naturally, at the request of the authorities) was deployed as soon as possible to protect the sovereignty of Kazakhstan.
At that time, the mere deployment of the CSTO contingent (most of which were Russian peacekeepers) was already enough for the Kazakh authorities to turn the situation around, which was developing negatively for them. A number of regional officials, considering which side to take, very quickly determined their preferences.
As a result, the riots in Kazakhstan were quickly put down, and all those responsible for organizing them were brought to justice. After that, the country’s president, Kassim-Jomart Tokaev, expressed gratitude to all partners for their help, as well as special thanks to Vladimir Putin.
Countering new threats
And there is much to be thankful for. The Kazakhstan test once again showed that Russia, on the one hand, is the undisputed provider of security in the region. “It owns the most powerful army, the military-industrial complex, as well as the means to deliver its contingents to the scene of the crisis,” Nikita Mendkovic recalls.
Moreover, it has a sufficient level of political will to use this power.
On the other hand, Moscow, unlike the same United States, does not abuse this power, will and the resulting dependence on regional states. It does not use this dependence to “occupy” dependent neighboring countries.
The same contingent of the CSTO, contrary to the rumors circulated by the Western media and Kazakh nationalists, was withdrawn as soon as the need ceased (in total, it was on the territory of Kazakhstan for less than 10 days, from January 6 to 15).
In essence, Moscow, both within the framework of the CSTO and through bilateral partnership, fulfills its historical mission to protect and maintain order in the Eurasian territory.
The mission to protect local states to resolve their mutual conflicts (thus, thanks to Russia, the border conflicts between the Central Asian republics were quelled).
A mission to transform the territory, where for centuries conflicts between small nations took place, into a zone of joint prosperity and stability.
In fact, under Vladimir Putin, Russia has returned to its historic mission of a peacemaker and guarantor of the stability of the entire Eurasian space.
And Moscow does not stop there.
First, organizes the work of the CSTO to counter new threats – those that even ten years ago seemed exotic and far from us. Thus, in March 2023, Vladimir Putin submitted to the State Duma for ratification a protocol to amend the CSTO statute, which provides for the interaction of the organization’s members in the field of biological safety.
Second, Russia in every way insists that the CSTO member states assume greater obligations within the framework of ensuring collective security.
„ Now most countries participate poorly in operations due to weak armies and poor weaponry. But under the leadership of Russia, the collective forces must develop and act on all fronts of threats.” says Nikita Mendkovic.
And this is necessary not in order to eliminate unnecessary expenses from Russia, but in order for the neighbors to fully understand the principle of indivisible collective regional security.
The situation in the world is developing in such a way that the sovereignty and security of Tajikistan cannot be guaranteed without the sovereignty and security of Belarus and Armenia, which seem far from it, and vice versa.
The world is rapidly regionalizing and now we are all in the same region. This means that this region must be protected.
Translation: ES
Sign the Peace and Sovereignty Referendum on
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
and for the channel or in Telegram:
#Respect #Sovereignty #CSTO #differ #NATO
