Political analyst: CSTO is now close to the level of NATO

While sharing his views with Alfa Radio, political analyst Piotr Petrovsky said that taking into account the recent events, some adjustments should be made to the CSTO charter, enabling the organisation’s forces to respond to challenges and threats even in a more mobile way

“Now the CSTO is an organisation that is somewhat constrained. Its charter was formed in the 1990s, when many did not understand why such an association was needed. It came down to internal anti-terrorist issues, especially against the background of the then conflicts, for example, Nagorno-Karabakh and the war in Tajikistan. The charter was developed under such conditions. After Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and other countries were defeated, and Afghanistan was treated irresponsibly, the organisation requires modernisation and more mobile tools for responding to certain challenges. Meanwhile, the CSTO is now at least close to the level of NATO. And for NATO, the implementation of each new CSTO mission will be a definite signal that the North Atlantic bloc is no longer a monopoly of the whole world,” said the expert.

According to the analyst, there will be no conflict between the two organisations. However, the expert believes that such organisations are a guarantee that military operations, at least on the territory of these alliances, do not work.”

“At the same time, the question arises about the boundaries of organisations, how floating they will be. For example, how long will Turkey stay in NATO, or will it leave the bloc? Will Serbia be a member of the CSTO? Will such countries as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan be able to join the CSTO? We should also mention Iran, which is strengthening its presence in the Middle East,” he noted.

Mr. Petrovsky believes that the strategic task should be the consolidation of Eurasia up to the Indian Ocean, enabling it to turn into a non-military zone with clear boundaries without any problems.

“We need a stable, peaceful and consolidated Eurasia,” concluded the analyst.