MOSCOW, January 10. /TASS/. The effective response that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has given to the crisis situation in Kazakhstan can breathe a new life into the bloc in the eyes of both regional players and NATO, which used to rebuke the CSTO for being a fake organization, Russian International Affairs Council Director General Andrey Kortunov told TASS.
According to the expert, reasons to boost cooperation within the CSTO became clear after the change of government in Afghanistan last August. "The developments in Kazakhstan will certainly give an additional impetus to efforts to enhance cooperation," Kortunov noted. "Perhaps, the CSTO will get a new life because unfortunately, the threats of instability will persist, and not only in Kazakhstan," Kortunov said.
He pointed out that for years, Russia and the CSTO leadership had been promoting a security concept for the Euro-Atlantic space and Eurasia based on two foundations, the Western one (represented by NATO) and the Eastern one (represented by the CSTO). "However, it required the North Atlantic Alliance to recognize the CSTO as an equal partner and a legitimate organization capable of taking on its share of responsibility to maintain security in Eurasia." Still, in Kortunov’s words, the North Atlantic Alliance kept ignoring the initiatives of Russia and the CSTO. "In this regard, the CSTO’s reaction, which was quite timely and can be described as rather effective at this point, is an additional strong argument in favor of viewing the organization as a real partner for NATO and not a fake [organization]," Kortunov stressed.
"The answer to the question about cooperation prospects depends on relations between NATO and Russia because everyone understands that Russia is the cornerstone of the CSTO and much depends on Moscow’s position," he went on to say. "This is why, if some points of convergence become clear a week after a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (on January 12 - TASS) and a meeting on the OSCE platform (on January 13 - TASS), it will be much easier to talk about cooperation between NATO and the CSTO," he noted.
"Given the developments in Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, this kind of cooperation would benefit everyone," the expert concluded.
Protests erupted in several Kazakh cities on January 2, escalating into mass riots with government buildings being ransacked in several cities a few days later. The ensuing violence left scores of people injured, with fatalities also reported. Subsequently, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev turned to the Collective Security Treaty Organization, requesting assistance from the Russia-led bloc. As a result, peacekeepers have already been deployed to Kazakhstan. Tokayev declared January 10 to be a day of national mourning.