Expert: CSTO summit in Minsk became historic

The summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), held in Minsk last week, was historic – as noted by Aleksei Avdonin, an analyst at the Belarusian Institute of Strategic Research (BISR), in is talk with Alfa Radio

“The CSTO summit in Minsk has become historic,” the expert underlined. “The main thing is that it has determined for us peace and order on our land for the coming decades. Why is it so important? We now clearly understand that in conditions when neither international institutions nor international law work, but only the law of force works, it is important for us that the CSTO military component is strong and significant. It is precisely the military instrument that will ensure the possibility of Belarus and other CSTO member states implementing sovereign domestic and foreign policies. In the current conditions – when the entire system of international relations and international security has been destroyed – the military and security bloc is the guarantor that we can be independent and free. Without this guarantor, we would have been completely defeated alone. Belarus, with all due respect to our Armed Forces and defence and special components, won’t be able to withstand the entire NATO bloc. Undoubtedly, it is necessary to integrate, unite and create a unified air defence system, a common system of intelligence sharing, decision-making when responding to crisis situations, decisions on the use of CSTO forces and means, on conducting a unified information and propaganda campaign, and psychological operations. All this in modern conditions enables us to ensure the stability of the development of our society.”

According to Aleksei Avdonin, opponents of our state want to subordinate Belarus to their will and interests. Anyway, we will survive, including thanks to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation and other integration formats.

“Those who stand on the borders of Poland and the Baltic States are not focused on making Belarusians happy, but on destroying us, enslaving us and forcing us to work for them for pennies. We say through the CSTO and other integration structures that we will continue to pursue a sovereign policy and will not give anyone the opportunity to impose their will on us,” summed up the BISR analyst.