View source for Collective Security Treaty Organization

{{Use British (Oxford) English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox organization
|name           = Collective Security Treaty Organization 
|native_name=''Հավաքական անվտանգության պայմանագրի կազմակերպության''<br>''Арганізацыя Дамовы аб калектыўнай бяспецы''<br>''Ұжымдық қауіпсіздік туралы шарт ұйымы''<br>''Жамааттык коопсуздук жөнүндө келишим уюму''<br>''Организация Договора о коллективной безопасности''<br>''Созмони Аҳдномаи амнияти дастаҷамъӣ''
|bgcolor        = 
|fgcolor        = 
|image          = Emblem of the CSTO.svg 
|image_border   = 
|size           = 150px 
|alt            = 
|caption        = 
|map            = File:Collective Security Treaty Organization orthographic projection.svg
|msize          = 220px 
|malt           = 
|mcaption       = 
|abbreviation   = 
|motto          = 
|formation      = 15 May 1992 (as Collective Security Treaty)<br>7 Oct 2002 (as Collective Security Treaty Organization)
|extinction     = 
|type           = [[Military alliance]] 
|status         = 
|purpose        = 
|headquarters   = [[Moscow]], [[Russia]]
|location       = [[Eurasia]]
|region_served  = 
|membership     = {{Collapsible list |titlestyle= background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 |title= 6 members
  |{{flag|Armenia}}
  |{{flag|Belarus}}
  |{{flag|Kazakhstan}}
  |{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
  |{{flag|Russia}}
  |{{flag|Tajikistan}}}}
{{Collapsible list |titlestyle= background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 |title= 2 observers
  |{{AFG}}
  |{{SRB}}}}
|language       = [[Russian language|Russian]]
|leader_title   = Secretary General
|leader_name    = [[Yuri Khatchaturov]]
|main_organ     = 
|parent_organization = 
|affiliations   = 
|num_staff      = 
|num_volunteers = 
|budget         = 
|website        = [http://odkb-csto.org/ odkb-csto.org] 
|remarks        = 
}}

The '''Collective Security Treaty Organization''' ('''CSTO'''; {{lang-ru|Организация Договора о Коллективной Безопасности}}, ''Organizacija Dogovora o Kollektivnoj Bezopasnosti'', '''ODKB''') is an [[Intergovernmental organization|intergovernmental]] [[military alliance]] that was signed on 15 May 1992. In 1992, six post-Soviet states belonging to the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]]—Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—signed the Collective Security Treaty (also referred to as the "Tashkent Pact" or "Tashkent Treaty").<ref>{{cite book|last1=ed|first1=Alexei G. Arbatov ...,|title=Russia and the West : the 21st century security environment|date=1999|publisher=Sharpe|location=Armonk, NY [u.a.]|isbn=978-0765604323|page=62|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHYZk-t7dI0C&pg=PA62#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=25 February 2015}}</ref> Three other post-Soviet states—Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia—signed the next year and the treaty took effect in 1994. Five years later, six of the nine—all but Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan—agreed to renew the treaty for five more years, and in 2002 those six agreed to create the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a military alliance. Uzbekistan rejoined the CSTO in 2006 but withdrew in 2012.

[[Nikolai Bordyuzha]] was appointed secretary general of the new organization. On 23 June 2006, [[Uzbekistan]] became a full participant in the CSTO; and its membership was ratified by the Uzbek parliament on 28 March 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianhome.org |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2014-12-24 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227124643/http://www.eurasianhome.org:80/ |archivedate=27 February 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref> It suspended its membership in 2012. The CSTO is an observer organization at the [[United Nations General Assembly observers|United Nations General Assembly]].

The CSTO charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories would not be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Obydenkova|first1=Anastassia|title=Comparative regionalism: Eurasian cooperation and European integration. The case for neofunctionalism?|journal=Journal of Eurasian Studies|date=23 November 2010|volume=2|issue=2|page=91|doi=10.1016/j.euras.2011.03.001|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187936651100008X/pdfft?md5=ed64d4729b6f021d3532536ff7d3b027&pid=1-s2.0-S187936651100008X-main.pdf}}</ref> while aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all. To this end, the CSTO holds yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to improve inter-organization cooperation. A CSTO military exercise called "Rubezh 2008" was hosted in [[Armenia]], where a combined total of 4,000 troops from all seven constituent CSTO member countries conducted operative, strategic and tactical training with an emphasis towards furthering efficiency of the collective security element of the CSTO partnership.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.ria.ru/world/20080722/114629594.html|title=Former Soviet states boost defense capability in joint drills|author=Sputnik|date=22 July 2008|publisher=}}</ref> The largest of such exercises was held in Southern Russia and central Asia in 2011, consisting of more than 10,000 troops and 70 combat aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://the-diplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2011/09/23/russia-launches-war-games/|title=Russia Launches War Games|author=J. Berkshire Miller, The Diplomat|work=The Diplomat}}</ref> Also, Russia has won the right to veto the establishment of new foreign military bases in the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). In order to deploy military bases of a third country in the territory of the CSTO member-states, it is necessary to obtain the official consent of all its members.<ref name="thehindu.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-international/article2736607.ece|title=CSTO tightens foreign base norms|author=Vladimir Radyuhin|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

The CSTO employs a "rotating presidency" system in which the country leading the CSTO alternates every year.<ref>http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/569688.html/</ref>

==Member states==
[[File:Stamps of Kazakhstan, 2012-17.jpg|thumbnail|Stamp of Kazakhstan, 2012]]
;Current members:
* {{flag|Armenia}} (1994)
* {{flag|Belarus}} (1994)
* {{flag|Kazakhstan}} (1994)
* {{flag|Kyrgyzstan}} (1994)
* {{flag|Russia}} (1994)
* {{flag|Tajikistan}} (1994)
;Non Member Observer States
* {{flag|Afghanistan}} (2013)
* {{flag|Serbia}} (2013)

;Former members
* {{flag|Azerbaijan}} (1994–1999)
* {{flag|Georgia}} (1994–1999)
* {{flag|Uzbekistan}} (1994–1999, 2006–2012)<ref>[http://ria.ru/defense_safety/20120628/687288392.html "Узбекистан второй раз выходит из ОДКБ"]</ref>
===Future membership===
In May 2007 the CSTO secretary-general Nikolai Bordyuzha suggested [[Iran]] could join the CSTO saying, "The CSTO is an open organization. If Iran applies in accordance with our charter, we will consider the application."  If Iran joined it would be the first state outside the former Soviet Union to become a member of the organization.

The [[Serbia|Republic of Serbia]] and the [[Afghanistan|Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]] have been accorded [[observer status]] in the CSTO.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odkb-csto.org/news/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=1776|title=Парламентские делегации Республики Сербия и Исламской Республики Афганистан получили статус наблюдателей при Парламентской Ассамблее  ОДКБ|publisher=}}</ref>

===History===
{{Supranational PostSoviet Bodies|size=400px|align=right}}

The CSTO grew out of the framework of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]], and first began as the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) which was signed on 15 May 1992, by [[Armenia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Russian Federation]], [[Tajikistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]], in the city of [[Tashkent]]. [[Azerbaijan]] signed the treaty on 24 September 1993, [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] on 9 December 1993 and [[Belarus]] on 31 December 1993. The treaty came into effect on 20 April 1994.

The CST was set to last for a 5-year period unless extended. On 2 April 1999, only six members of the CST signed a protocol renewing the treaty for another five-year period – Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan refused to sign and withdrew from the treaty instead. At the same time Uzbekistan joined the [[GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development|GUAM]] group, established in 1997 by Georgia, [[Ukraine]], Azerbaijan, and [[Moldova]], and largely seen as intending to counter Russian influence in the region. Uzbekistan later withdrew from GUAM in 2005.

==Recent developments==
On March 19, 2015, the CSTO Secretary General [[Nikolai Bordyuzha]] offered to send a peacekeeping mission to [[Donbass]], Ukraine. "The CSTO has a peacekeeping capacity. Our peacekeepers continuously undergo corresponding training. If such a decision is taken by the United Nations, we stand ready to provide peacekeeping units.”<ref>{{cite news|title=Bordyuzha: CSTO ready to deploy its peacekeepers to resolve conflict in Ukraine|url=http://eng.belta.by/all_news/politics/Bordyuzha-CSTO-ready-to-deploy-its-peacekeepers-to-resolve-conflict-in-Ukraine_i_80372.html}}</ref>

In August 2014, 3,000 soldiers from the members of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan participated in psychological and cyber warfare exercises in Kazakhstan under war games managed by CSTO.<ref>{{cite news|title=Armenia to participate in Kazakhstan CSTO drills|url=http://www.silkroadreporters.com/2014/08/12/armenia-participate-kazakhstan-csto-drills/}}</ref>

On 28 June 2012, Uzbekistan suspended its membership in the CSTO.<ref>{{cite news|title=Uzbekistan Suspends Its Membership in CSTO|url=http://www.satrapia.com/news/article/uzbekistan-suspends-its-membership-in-csto/|accessdate=29 June 2012|newspaper=The Gazette of Central Asia|date=29 June 2012}}</ref>

On 21 December 2011, Russia won the right to veto the establishment of new foreign military bases in the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Additionally, Kazakhstan took over the rotating presidency of the CSTO from Belarus.<ref name="thehindu.com"/>

On 10 December 2010, the member states approved a declaration establishing a CSTO peacekeeping force and a declaration of the CSTO member states, in addition to signing a package of joint documents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eng.kremlin.ru/news/1459|title=Meeting of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Collective Security Treaty Organisation|work=President of&nbsp;Russia}}</ref>

On 5 September 2008, [[Armenia]] assumed the rotating CSTO presidency during a CSTO meeting in [[Moscow]], [[Russia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=26902|title=CSTO Security Councils Secretaries meet in Yerevan|work=PanARMENIAN.Net}}</ref>

On 29 August 2008, Russia announced it would seek CSTO recognition of the independence of [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]]. Three days earlier, on 26 August, Russia recognized the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4635843.ece|title=Kremlin announces that South Ossetia will join 'one united Russian state|publisher=}}</ref>

On 6 October 2007, CSTO members agreed to a major expansion of the organization that would create a CSTO peacekeeping force that could deploy under a [[U.N.]] mandate or without one in its member states. The expansion would also allow all members to purchase Russian weapons at the same price as Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kommersant.com/p812422/CIS_CSTO_Russia_Lebedev/|title=Gendarme of Eurasia - Kommersant Moscow|publisher=}}</ref>

In October 2007, the CSTO signed an agreement with the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization]] (SCO), in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking.<ref>[http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C10%5C06%5Cstory_6-10-2007_pg4_3 Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In June 2007, [[Kyrgyzstan]] assumed the rotating CSTO presidency.

During 2005, the CSTO partners conducted some common [[military exercise]]s.

In 2005, Uzbekistan withdrew from GUAM and joined the CSTO in 2006 in order to seek closer ties with Russia. It has withdrawn from CSTO again in 2012.

== Collective Rapid Reaction Force ==
{{main|Collective Rapid Reaction Force}}
On 4 February 2009, an agreement to create the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (KSOR) (Russian: Коллекти́вные си́лы операти́вного реаги́рования (КСОР)) was reached by five of the seven members, with plans finalized on 14 June. The force is intended to be used to repulse military aggression, conduct anti-terrorist operations, fight transnational crime and drug trafficking, and neutralize the effects of natural disasters. Belarus and Uzbekistan initially refrained from signing on to the agreement; Belarus because of a trade dispute with Russia, and Uzbekistan due to general concerns. Belarus signed the agreement the following October while Uzbekistan has yet to sign it. However a source in the Russian delegation said Uzbekistan would not participate in the collective force on a permanent basis but would "delegate" its detachments to take part in operations on an ''[[ad hoc]]'' basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.rian.ru/russia/20090204/119984654.html|title=CSTO's rapid-reaction force to equal NATO's - Medvedev|author=Sputnik|date=4 February 2009|publisher=}}</ref><ref>[http://thefastertimes.com/defensespending/2009/10/30/with-russian-prodding-csto-begins-taking-shape/ With Russian Prodding, CSTO Begins Taking Shape] Retrieved on 24 November 2009</ref>

On 3 August 2009 the foreign ministry of [[Uzbekistan]] criticized plans by [[Russia]] to establish a military base in southern [[Kyrgyzstan]] for the CSTO rapid reaction force, stating, "The implementation of such projects on complex and unpredictable territory, where the borders of three Central Asian republics directly converge, may give impetus to the strengthening of militarization processes and initiate all kinds of nationalistic confrontations. […] Also, it could lead to the appearance of radical extremist forces that could lead to serious destabilization in this vast region." <ref>[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav080409a.shtml Tashkent Throws Temper Tantrum over New Russian Base in Kyrgyzstan], EurasiaNet, 3 August 2009</ref>

== Kyrgyz Conflict ==
After [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]] was ousted from office as [[President of Kyrgyzstan]] as a result of [[2010 Kyrgyzstani riots|riots]] in [[Kyrgyzstan]] in April, 2010, he was granted asylum in [[Belarus]]. Belarusian President [[Alexander Lukashenko]] expressed doubt about the future of the CSTO for failing to prevent Bakiyev's overthrow, stating, "What sort of organization is this one, if there is bloodshed in one of our member states and an anticonstitutional coup d'etat takes place, and this body keeps silent?" <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63O0PT20100425 Belarus leader raps Russia, may snub security summit], Reuters, 25 April 2010.</ref> Lukashenko had previously accused [[Russia]] of punishing [[Belarus]] with economic sanctions after Lukashenko's refusal to recognize the independence of [[Abkhazia]] and [[South Ossetia]], stating "Economy serves as the basis for our common security. But if Belarus’s closest CSTO ally is trying....to destroy this basis and de facto put the Belarusians on their knees, how can one talk about consolidating collective security in the CSTO space?" <ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE55D07I20090614 Belarus-Russia rift widens, Minsk snubs Moscow meet], Reuters, 14 June 2009.</ref> After refusing to attend a CSTO summit in 2009,  Lukashenko said, "Why should my men fight in Kazakhstan? Mothers would ask me why I sent their sons to fight so far from Belarus. For what? For a unified energy market? That is not what lives depend on. No!"<ref>[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/lukashenko-plays-coy-with-kremlin/381416.html Lukashenko Plays Coy With Kremlin], Moscow Times, 28 August 2009.</ref>

During a trip to [[Ukraine]] to extend Russia's lease of the Crimean port [[Sevastopol]] in return for discounted [[2010 Ukrainian–Russian Naval Base for Natural Gas treaty|natural gas supplies]], Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] was asked about whether [[Belarus]] could expect a similar deal and responded, "Real partnership is one thing and a declaration of intentions is another; reaching agreement on working seriously, meeting each other halfway, helping each other is one thing and making decisions about granting permanent residence to people who have lost their job is another." The Belarusian President defended himself against this criticism by citing former Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]]'s invitation of [[Askar Akayev]] to Russia after he was ousted as [[President of Kyrgyzstan]] during the 2005 [[Tulip Revolution]].<ref>[http://belapan.com/archive/2010/04/25/en_media_president_v2/ Lukashenka dismisses Moscow’s criticism over Bakiyev], Belaplan, 25 April 2010.</ref> The following month, President Medvedev ordered the CEO of Russia's natural gas monopoly [[Gazprom]] to cut gas supplies to Belarus.<ref>[http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/economy-and-business/Russia-Cuts-Gas-Supplies-to-Belarus--96799489.html Russia Cuts Gas Supplies to Belarus], VOANews, 21 June 2010.</ref> Subsequently, the Russian television channel [[NTV (Russia)|NTV]], run by [[Gazprom]] aired a documentary film which compared Lukashenko to Bakiyev.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/node/16646450/ Russia and Belarus: It takes one to know one], Economist, 22 July 2010.</ref> Then the Russian President's foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko threatened to publish the transcript of a CSTO meeting where Lukashenko said that his administration would recognize Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence.<ref>[https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gucJfuxWHcwFtow4s36op647PawQ Tensions flare between Kremlin, Belarus strongman], Agence France-Presse, 14 August 2010.</ref>

In June 2010, [[Ethnic Violence in Southern Kyrgyzstan (2010)|ethnic clashes]] broke out between ethnic [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] and [[Uzbeks]] in southern Kyrgyzstan, leading interim Kyrgyz President [[Roza Otunbayeva]] to request the assistance of Russian troops to quell the disturbances. [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]] denied charges that his supporters were behind the ethnic conflict and called on the CSTO to intervene.<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE65A5PA20100614 Moscow-led bloc may try to quell Kyrgyz clashes], Reuters, 14 June 2010.</ref> [[Askar Akayev]] also called for the CSTO to send troops saying, "Our priority task right now should be to extinguish this flame of enmity. It is very likely that we will need CSTO peacekeepers to do that." <ref>[http://rt.com/Politics/2010-06-17/former-kyrgyz-president-akayev.html Cases of cash paid for Kyrgyz unrest – former president], Russia Today, 17 June 2010.</ref> Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] said that "only in the case of a foreign intrusion and an attempt to externally seize power can we state that there is an attack against the CSTO," and that, "all the problems of Kyrgyzstan have internal roots," while CSTO Secretary General [[Nikolai Bordyuzha]] called the violence "purely a domestic affair." <ref>[http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/russia/100614/kyrgyzstan-ethnic-violence Kyrgyzstan tests Russia's regional commitments], GlobalPost, 15 June 2010.</ref> Later however Bordyuzha admitted that the CSTO response may have been inadequate and claimed that "foreign mercenaries" provoked the [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] violence against ethnic [[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] minorities.<ref>[http://www.eurasiareview.com/201007014191/claims-foreign-mercenaries-helped-provoke-race-riots-in-kyrgyzstan.html CSTO Chief Says Foreign Mercenaries Provoked Race Riots In Kyrgyzstan], Eurasia Review, 1 July 2010.</ref>

On 21 July 2010, interim Kyrgyz President [[Roza Otunbayeva]] called for the introduction of CSTO police units to southern [[Kyrgyzstan]] saying, "I think it’s important to introduce CSTO police forces there, since we’re unable to guarantee people’s rights on our own," but added "I’m not seeking the CSTO’s embrace and I don’t feel like bringing them here to stay but the bloodletting there will continue otherwise." <ref>[http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15337729&PageNum=0 Kyrgyzstan takes decision on deploying CIS police force in South], Itar-Tass, 21 July 2010.</ref> Only weeks later the deputy chairman of Otubayeva's interim [[Kyrgyz people|Kyrgyz]] government complained that their appeals for help from the CSTO had been ignored.<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyz_Official_Criticizes_Foreign_Partners/2125164.html Kyrgyz Official Criticizes Foreign Partners], Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 11 August 2010.</ref>
The CSTO was unable to agree on providing military assistance to [[Kyrgyzstan]] at a meeting in [[Yerevan]], [[Armenia]], which was attended by [[Roza Otunbayeva]] as well as [[Alexander Lukashenko]].<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67J1KU Russian-led bloc undecided on aid for Kyrgyzstan], Reuters, 20 August 2010.</ref>

==See also==

* [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS)
* [[Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations]]
* [[Eurasian Economic Community]] (EURASEC)
* [[Eurasian Economic Union]] (EAEU)
* [[GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development]] (GUAM)
* [[Military alliance]]
* [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO)
* [[Post-Soviet states]]
* [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization]] (SCO)
* [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization]] (SEATO)
* [[Warsaw Pact]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.dkb.gov.ru CSTO Official Site] {{ru icon}}
* [http://www.odkb.gov.ru/start/index_aengl.htm CSTO Official Site] {{en icon}}
* [http://www.paodkb.ru/ Official Site of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO] {{ru icon}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515080137/http://untreaty.un.org/unts/144078_158780/5/9/13289.pdf The Charter of the CSTO]

{{CARO}}
{{Soviet Union topics}}
{{International power}}
{{Commonwealth of Independent States}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2012}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Collective Security Treaty Organization}}
[[Category:1994 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:20th-century military alliances]]
[[Category:21st-century military alliances]]
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[[Category:International military organizations]]
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[[Category:Military of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Military of Kyrgyzstan]]
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