MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is not a closed club and any state can join it, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Andrey Rudenko said in an interview with TASS.

"As for the expansion of the CSTO, of course, this is not a closed club. The fundamental documents stipulate that any state that shares its goals and principles and is ready to assume the obligations contained in the charter and other international treaties that operate within the CSTO," he said.

He drew attention to the fact that there are also new forms with the CSTO for developing diverse cooperation between interested countries and international organizations. "In January last year, the provisions establishing the status of a CSTO partner and observer came into force," Rudenko added.

According to the diplomat, during the peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan in January, "the CSTO successfully passed a serious test for its combat capability", as it had to act in tough time constraints.