Meeting with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha

The session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is slated for 23 December. The matter was on the agenda of the meeting between Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko and CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha on 4 November.

“I think that on 23 December we will hold this session if there are no urgent situations. Defense ministers, foreign ministers and state secretaries will meet in advance,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I would like to be informed about the issues that we will discuss. I want to know how important they are, whether they are supported by the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. After all, it seems that there is no time to relax,” the Belarusian head of state remarked.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, during his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates he held serious talks with the senior officials of the country. “I understood that the situation in the region is not stable, especially in Egypt, Libya, the so-called Islamic State arouses concern. In short, the entire Middle East is involved in the war. Apart from the situation in the Middle East, it is not peaceful near our borders. Who would have thought that Ukraine will ever face such a conflict?” the President asked.

“Therefore, our security is of paramount importance. Belarus pays serious attention to the developments taking place near our borders and in other countries. We will do everything we can to support our friends in the CSTO, and of course, we will focus on the protection of our own borders, including together with the Russian Federation in this Western direction in the zone of our responsibility,” the Belarusian head of state stressed.

Nikolai Bordyuzha, in turn, believes that the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council will be held amidst rather difficult circumstances. “Taking into consideration the general satiation in the zone of operation of the Collective Security Treaty, we see several very alarming factors, first of all, in Afghanistan,” he said. He added that the situation there is getting worse.