Belarus supports the intensive development of cooperation between the Collective Security Treaty Organization and UN and OSCE

Foreign Policy and Security Research center with the support of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces held an international seminar on issues in the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Minsk on October 25, 2010.

The book entitled “The Collective Security Treaty Organization (2001-2009)” by the expert of the Foreign Policy and Security Research center, Prof. Dr. Anatoliy Rozanov, and Associated Professor, PhD in law Helen Dougan was presented at the seminar.

According to Anatoliy Rozanov, this publication is a comprehensive study of the status, evolution, and foreign policy, legal and military dimensions of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The paper was prepared on the basis of the analysis and synthesis of the legal framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, analytical and reference materials on the Collective Security Treaty Organization, speeches of UN and the Collective Security Treaty Organization officials.

Dr. Philipp Fluri, Deputy Director of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Executive Director of DCAF Brussels thanked Anatoliy Rozanov and Helen Dougan for work and said “it is intended to fill the information gap on the issue of the legal status and the political role of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and it will serve to the development of the discussion about the nature of European and Eurasian security and cooperation”.

The current issues in the Collective Security Treaty Organization was discussed at the seminar.

Valeriy Bobyshev, a representative of the Office of International Security of the Security Council State Secretariat of Belarus, said that Belarus does not consider the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a military organization and as a competitor to NATO, on the contrary, “a significant range of tasks between the two organizations is identical, so it is possible to rely on effective communication between them in future”. According to Valeriy Bobyshev, “Belarus, along with other members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, supports the intensive development of cooperation between the Collective Security Treaty Organization and UN and OSCE.

Ivan Grinevich, an adviser of the International Security and Arms Control Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, said that "NATO and OSCE somehow trying to monopolize the activity in certain areas (human trafficking, the threat of drugs). I think these organizations are slightly underestimate the potential of the Collective Security Treaty Organization”.

Assistant professor, Dr. Artem Malgin,  Adviser to the Rector, Head of the Secretariat of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, "Belarus as a chairman of the Collective Security Treaty Organization could import certain dynamics in the development of this organization on the European side. Besides, the presidency of Belarus in the Collective Security Treaty Organization is an option for improving Russia-Belarus bilateral relations”. Dr. Artem Malgin paid special attention to the politico-military dimension of the Collective Security Treaty Organization: the expert think “that Belarus is known for its well-organized military, probably one of the best among the Collective Security Treaty Organization members”.

Leonid Polyakov, chairman of the advisory council of the Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies, former First Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine noted that Ukraine's relations with the EU is much deeper than with the Collective Security Treaty Organization, so Ukraine will keep its independent status quo in relations with the Collective Security Treaty Organization. However, Ukraine did not and does not completely ignore the existence of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Mr. Polyakov cited numerous examples of various forms of cooperation between Ukraine and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The expert also recalled that "a few years ago, when Belarus and its leadership was actually blocked by the U.S. and the European Union, the Ukrainian diplomatic apparatus rigidly insisted on supporting this blockade from Ukraine. But the leadership of the defense department, where I then was, was totally against this and made every effort to beef up defense dialogue."

The conference proceedings will be produced and published after the conference.