Joining the CSTO is an Extremely Serious Issue: Zas on the Expansion of the Organization

The issue of expanding the CSTO must be approached with great caution to avoid undermining the unity of the organization, stated CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas during the conference "Collective Security in a New Era: The CSTO's Experience and Prospects," held at the Valdai Club.

“The issue of CSTO expansion must be approached very 'carefully' and cautiously. Our organization is open and welcomes cooperation with countries that share our approaches and principles of action. However, joining the CSTO is an extremely serious issue, and it must be approached carefully to not undermine our unity and cohesion. This is very important in terms of ensuring that we remain an effective organization,” said Stanislav Zas.

Currently, there are 6 countries that are members of the CSTO: Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.