May 23, 2018
Meeting with secretaries of security councils and ministers of defense departments of CSTO member states
Astana
The Head of State greeted all participants of the inter-sessional meetings of the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils, which take place during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the CSTO.
“The CSTO statutory bodies that you represent will consider a wide range of issues, including the development of multilateral cooperation in the military sphere, countering international terrorism, illegal drug trafficking, illegal migration, and developing approaches to coordinated information policy,” the President of Kazakhstan noted.
Nursultan Nazarbayev stressed that the world and the region still have a complicated military and political situation, international terrorist organizations are actively operating, and threats to the information space are growing.
The Head of State noted the important role of defense departments and apparatus of security councils in interstate coordination, improvement of collective mechanisms, cooperation in joint exercises and operations.
– Joint activities should be conducted within the framework of coordinated directions and in strict accordance with the statutory tasks specified in the CSTO Development Strategy until 2025. The Collective Rapid Response Forces, created by us, are always ready to fulfill the tasks assigned to them, “said the President of Kazakhstan.
Nursultan Nazarbayev dwelled on the results of the exercise “Cobalt-2018”, held in the Almaty region.
The head of state drew attention to the importance of developing specific programs and logistics plans for the Collective Rapid Reaction Force.
Also, the President of Kazakhstan called for paying special attention to practical measures in the sphere of military-technical cooperation, using for this purpose the opportunities of the exhibition “KADEX-2018”.
“Now the number of the Joint Staff of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is substantially increased, so we can expect qualitative improvements in its work. Kazakhstan considers international terrorism to be the most acute problem in the CSTO responsibility zone and, in general, in the world, “the Head of State said.
The President of Kazakhstan pointed out the effectiveness of collective efforts in the fight against international terrorism.
In addition, Nursultan Nazarbayev dwelled on the issues of expanding CSTO interaction with the international community, developing effective measures to respond to potential threats, as well as ensuring information and cybersecurity.
In conclusion, the Head of State expressed his confidence that the Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils will make a significant contribution to the solution of the common tasks of the CSTO.