Russian official: CSTO membership open for Iran

The question of Iran’s potential membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should be discussed, as it is "not a closed club," said chairman of the State Duma’s (Parliament) Defence Committee Andrei Kartapolov.

Kartapolov reminded that Iran’s delegation had previously participated in a session of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

"In my view, the question of Iran’s possible membership in the CSTO should be raised more specifically. Why not, after all? It’s not a closed club," Kartapolov said.

According to the CSTO Charter, any state that shares the organization’s goals and principles and is willing to assume the obligations outlined in its charter and other international agreements within the framework of the organization may become a member.

The decision on admitting a new member is made by the CSTO Collective Security Council.

To recap, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military alliance in Eurasia, established in 2002, consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. It evolved from the Soviet Armed Forces, which were replaced in 1992 by the United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States, later succeeded by the armed forces of the independent states.

Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, similar to Article 5 of NATO's founding treaty. The CSTO's charter, reaffirmed in 2002, calls for the peaceful resolution of conflicts and prohibits member states from joining other military alliances.

The organization operates with a rotating presidency, where leadership shifts annually among the members, and requires unanimous consent to allow foreign military bases on member territories.

The CSTO conducts annual military exercises to strengthen interorganisational cooperation. The largest of these, in 2011, involved over 10,000 troops and 70 combat aircraft across Southern Russia and Central Asia.

The CSTO also maintains a peacekeeping force, deployed to various conflict zones such as Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. In October 2007, the CSTO agreed to expand its peacekeeping capabilities and to enable members to purchase Russian weapons at domestic prices. In January 2022, the organization deployed 2,000 peacekeepers to Kazakhstan to help restore order during local unrest.

By Aghakazim Guliyev