MINSK, February 13. /TASS/. At a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov on Monday, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called on the organization’s member-countries to present a common front and shape a single policy against the backdrop of the Ukrainian conflict, the BelTA news agency reports.
"If someone thinks that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is not our conflict, that we will be able to just sit quietly somewhere, such people are wrong. Nothing like that will happen. The moment will come soon, not in a long while but literally tomorrow, for us to make up our mind and take a certain position," he said. "I'm not saying that this is to be done to the detriment of national interests and so on, but given all the shortcomings of our alliance, we will have to clearly define our policy in order to act together," Lukashenko said. "Together it's always simpler and easier."
He stressed that compromises would have to be found within the CSTO, noting that in general, the countries were acting as a single organization.
"I think we will have to go through this difficult period, and that it will unite our organization even more on the principles that are crucial to and possible for each state," he said.
Lukashenko stressed that there are enough challenges today.
"We took a risk to pledge in our program that during our chairmanship we will try to solve the problems that we have. Especially on the borders of the CSTO member-states. I've mentioned your experience for good reason. You have an excellent memory. You know both the Caucasus and Central Asia well enough. We have problems there. Let's try to resolve them and unite the Collective Security Treaty Organization in these difficult times as much as possible. You see what is happening along the perimeter."
As he welcomed Tasmagambetov, who recently took office as CSTO Secretary-General, Lukashenko noted that they had known each other for a long time.
"I am pleased to meet you as an experienced person. There is something very familiar that we both share. In our younger days, we were both Young Communist League activists. You have lots of life experience to your credit and that deserves respect," Lukashenko said. "There are very few people now who have that kind of experience from Soviet times, and they are very valuable."
Tasmagambetov said that he started to perform his duties on January 10.
"From that moment on, I’ve been closely studying my new responsibilities. The most important thing is to get ready for drafting an action plan and define the main priorities of the Belarusian presidency for 2023," he said.