By Igor Slavinsky
During the year of Minsk presiding over the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), General Secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha visited Minsk for the ninth time, showing that serious reform is on the cards. There is no alternative, as economic integration is hardly possible without a reliable military-political screen — as world practise shows. The European Union and NATO work closely while, within the post-Soviet space, the Single Economic Space is due to launch very soon. The idea of a Eurasian Union is in the air but working mechanisms for security provision are needed.
On meeting Mr. Lukashenko in Minsk, Mr. Bordyuzha noted how resultful the past year has been for the organisation, expressing his admiration for Belarus’ chairmanship. In fairness, recent events have inspired the Eurasian alliance to act. Bloody events in Kyrgyzstan, towards which the allies remained almost indifferent, brought issues to a head, as the charter documents envisage responsibility for incidents of this kind.
The young military-political block needs to enhance its efficiency, while increasing its authority within the international arena. To achieve this, Belarus is proposing to join the UN’s peace keeping forces. All legal aspects have been settled and talks with Ban Ki-moon have been conducted. The global organisation is keen to receive this support, as CSTO member states boast quite strong ‘muscles’. CSTO foreign ministers recently met at a session of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vilnius — sharing almost the same views.
