Apropos the Collective Security Treaty

The CIS Collective Security Treaty was signed May 15, 1992 in Tashkent by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Azerbaijan joined the treaty September 24, 1993. For their own part, Georgia and Belarus signed this document December 9, 1993 and December 31, 1993, respectively. Other CIS countries, i.e. Moldavia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, didn't take part in the treaty. The Collective Security Treaty was enacted April 20, 1994 and registered at the UN Secretariat November 1, 1995. This open treaty doesn't stipulate the creation of any military bloc whatsoever. The treaty's article one reaffirms the commitment of signatory states to refrain from using force or from the threat of using force and to settle all mutual differences, as well as those with other countries, by peaceful means alone. Signatory countries shall have no right to join military alliances or other groups of states; nor can they take part in various actions spearheaded against any of their partners. An aggression against one signatory country shall be perceived as an aggression against all parties to the treaty. Consequently, all other signatory countries shall render all necessary assistance, military assistance included, to the aggression's victim. Moreover, they shall provide support with the help of all means at their disposal in line with the right to collective self-defense being envisaged by article 51 of the UN Charter. The relevant decision to use armed forces for the sake of repelling aggression shall be made by the heads of signatory states. Outside their respective countries specific military units can only operate in accordance with the UN Charter and national legislations. The Collective Security Council and its bodies shall coordinate joint activities, also providing the required support for such activities. On April 2, 1999 at the session of the Collective Security Council the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia and Tajikistan signed a protocolon prolonging the treaty for another five-year period. This protocol stipulates the treaty's automatic prolongation for subsequent five-year periods, thus guaranteeing the relevant collective-security system's validity in line with the treaty. However, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan, which didn't sign this protocol, withdrew from the treaty. Right now, the Collective Security Treaty comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Russia and Tajikistan. The Collective Security Council, which is the Treaty's supreme political body, comprises national heads of state and the Commander-In-Chief of the joint CIS armed forces. Valery Nikolayenko currently serves as Secretary-General of the Collective Security Council. The post of the Council's chairman was introduced in May 2001; the chairman shall head the Council in between its sessions. The Collective Security Council is chaired by national Presidents in succession. Right now, it is chaired by President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia. The Collective Security Council has the following supreme consultative bodies, i.e. the Council of Defense Ministers and the Council of Foreign Ministers of signatory countries. The Committee of National Security Council Secretaries of signatory countries was established in May 2000. This Committee mostly aims to coordinate specific operations spearheaded against international terrorism. The Committee is chaired by Vladimir Rushailo, Secretary of the Russian Federation's national Security Council. Minsk hosted a session of the Collective Security Council in May 2000, what with signatory states deciding to establish the relevant collective-security system within the Treaty's framework. Such a system would make it possible to cope with specific national-security, regional-security and international-security threats, international terrorism, first and foremost. In May 2001 it was decided to establish collective rapid-deployment forces within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty. These forces are mostly called on to maintain peace and stability, also fighting Central Asian terrorism. Moscow will host yet another session of the Collective Security Council May 14. Those taking part in today's session will discuss the Treaty's transformation into an international regional organization, the creation of an inter-state troop-control division, expanded military-technical cooperation and more profound coordination of foreign-policy activities. © &to=http://www.rian.ru' target=_blank>RIAN

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