The Head of State participated in the session of the Collective Security Council of the CSTO, which was held in Minsk, as reported by the Akorda press service.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that from January 1, 2024, the chairmanship of the CSTO will pass to Kazakhstan. He emphasized that in this capacity, Kazakhstan is ready to contribute to further strengthening the collective security system based on the Organization. In this context, the President proposed several priority areas on which the Organization’s activities should focus during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship.

Firstly, the CSTO’s cooperation with concerned countries and international organizations in the security sphere.

Secondly, he proposed interaction on issues of military cooperation. According to the leader of Kazakhstan, the regulatory and legal framework for the operational deployment of the CSTO Collective Forces needs further development.

Another priority highlighted was the development of cooperation in countering international terrorism and extremism.

The Organization should also counter the illicit trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also considers significant those areas of work that pertain to struggle against the illegal trafficking of weapons and organized transnational crime, as well as deepening cooperation in preventing and mitigating the consequences of emergencies, and countering crimes in the field of information technology.

The Head of State informed that the outlined priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship will be communicated to the CSTO member states in the very near future. He expressed confidence that the joint efforts of the Organization’s member states will continue the comprehensive work to strengthen and further develop the system of collective security.