On September 14-15th the summit of the Collective Security Treatment Organization will take place in Dushanbe. Tajikistan chairs the organization this year. The Ambassador of Tajikistan to Moscow, Imomuddin Sattarov, says that “cooperation in the CSTO responds to the national interests of Tajikistan, as it enables the provision of the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state, resisting such challenges and threats as international terrorism, religious extremism, illegal migration, transnational crime and drug trafficking, on a collective basis.” According to the Tajik diplomat, the upcoming summit is especially acute due to events which are happening on the borders and close to the zone of the CSTO’s responsibility.
Nikolai Bordyuzha, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty, says that the anti-terrorist struggle is one of the main goals for the organization today: “These measures concern the political activities of the CSTO and the strengthening of the Tajik-Afghan border, preparations for territorial defense, strengthening of military capabilities, work with the Afghan authorities, strengthening of the force capacity of Afghanistan, modernization of the collective rapid reaction forces with modern weapons and equipment, assistance to the members of the CSTO in the rearmament of their armed forces, which the Russian Federation is carrying out now.”
As one of the elements of preparations for a possible adverse development of the regional situation on the Tajik-Afghan border, the authorities of Tajikistan draw serious attention to this matter. According to Bordyuzha, “extraordinary steps have been taken in order to strengthen the border troops and general structures of the border on the Tajik-Afghan border after several major military exercises by the territorial defense and the armed forces of Tajikistan. For example, one of the exercises provided the establishment of a second echelon of the defense of the border, where the so-called territorial defense was: recruits and more than 50 thousand civilians were involved in it. They took up arms and joined the units of the Tajik armed forces in order to protect the Tajik-Afghan border.”
The Secretary General of the CSTO says that a significant part of Afghan territory is controlled by the Taliban today. “Tajikistan is an outpost on the way to penetration of many threats and challenges, which are linked with extremism, terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, in the Central Asian region and in general on the territory of the CSTO. Tajikistan is at the forefront of all these problems, it is necessary to provide assistance. Our heads of state are aware of the seriousness of the situation and such measures are being taken in respect of Tajikistan by the Russian Armed Forces and other partners.”
