CSTO chief: No appeal from Russia for military help amid ATACMS strikes

Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Imangali Tasmagambetov has said that Russia did not request assistance from the CSTO in connection with the ATACMS attacks on its territory. 

"Proceeding from the Collective Security Treaty, assistance, including military support, is rendered at the request of the member state. As you know, this provision has already been applied in practice. At this point, Russia has not made such a request," he said, responding to a question about rendering assistance to Russia in connection with the ATACMS missile strikes, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Tasmagambetov also emphasised that there is no specific agenda item at the CSTO meeting addressing the ATACMS strikes on Russian territory. However, the member states will discuss the situation within the CSTO’s area of responsibility and its borders, which will cover all three regions under the organisation’s mandate: Eastern European, Caucasian, and Central Asian.

"Of course, the heads of state will discuss the full range of issues related to ensuring the security of CSTO member states in the current situation," the secretary general added. 

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) traces its origins to the Collective Security Treaty, which was signed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on May 15, 1992, by the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia later joined in 1993. The treaty came into effect after the completion of national ratification processes on April 20, 1994. 

The goals of the Organisation include reinforcing peace, ensuring international and regional security and stability, and collectively safeguarding the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of its member states. The document outlines key principles that guide the Organisation's actions: prioritising political solutions over military ones, upholding the independence of member states, voluntary participation, equality of rights and obligations among members, and non-interference in matters that fall within the national jurisdiction of the member states.

By Naila Huseynova