Opinions & Interviews

Alexander Lukashenko said he believes that it is the practical direction in the CSTO operation that will secure the organization’s successful development. “The CSTO has been created and is meant to protect common interests of the member states,” noted the Belarusian head of state.

According to the Belarus President, as the common economic space grows larger and more advanced within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union, which members are now virtually identical to those in the CSTO, the importance of protecting economic interests will be pushed to the forefront. “The existing mechanisms of interaction between special services and other services can be used for that. The services are capable of putting a stop to organized criminal groups, which are now trying to find loopholes and exploit the new economic conditions for their criminal gains,” said the Belarusian leader.

Alexander Lukashenko wished success to Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, who will take over the presidency in the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the particularly important year of the 70^th anniversary of the Victory over the Nazi in the Great Patriotic War. “The fateful date that we all remember binds us together not only by the common history but also by additional moral obligations and responsibility for preserving peace in our region,” stressed the Belarus President.

Alexander Lukashenko said he was confident that the decisions participants of the session will make will contribute to stronger security of the CSTO member states and to the regional and global stability.