CSTO Full Form

What is the full form of CSTO?

CSTO stands for Collective Security Treaty Organization. It is an intergovernmental military alliance based in the Eurasia region, consisting of Six post-Soviet nations. The six-member nations are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The Soviet Armed Forces, also called The Red Army, are the master brain behind the introduction of CSTO. Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty (CST), dated May 15, 1992, states that aggression against one of its member nations would be seen as aggression against all. This Treaty is similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (NAT) which states that any attack on a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member nation shall be considered an attack against them all. So CSTO is an organisation similar to NATO, where the most powerful country is Russia, whereas the most powerful nation in NATO is the United States.

This Story also Contains

1. What is the full form of CSTO?
2. History of CSTO
3. Objectives of CSTO
4. Recent Activities of CSTO

History of CSTO

On 15 May 1992, six of the post-Soviet states constituting the Commonwealth of Independent States Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan signed the Collective Security Treaty. Later in 1993, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia also signed the Treaty, making it a nine-member treaty. On 2 April 1999, six of the member nations supported extending the treaty, and later in 2002, these nations decided to form a military alliance called the CSTO, today. In October 2007, CSTO made a huge expansion as a peacekeeping organisation under the United Nations.

On 29 August 2008, CTSO recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent nations. In 2009 one of the member nations Belarus withdrew from the CSTO meeting. In June 2010 CSTO intervene in the ethnic clash between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in southern Kyrgyzstan. On 21 December 2011, its members decided to introduce military bases in its member nations. On 28 June 2012, Uzbekistan suspended its membership with CSTO. From then onwards, CSTO has contributed towards resolving challenges faced by its member nations like the Kyrgyzstan conflict, the Milk War, etc.

Objectives of CSTO

• The CSTO seeks to advance world peace, regional and global security and stability, and the collective defence of member states' sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

• CSTO members collectively aim in combating cybersecurity threats, which was decided during the CSTO meeting in Minsk, Belarus.

• To research and develop new technology and defence equipment for the advancement of its member nation.

• To stand as a strong opponent to other intergovernmental military alliances, which raises challenges to CSTO members.

• To exercise more power in the region, preventing other alliances from taking over.

Recent Activities of CSTO

• Five members of the CSTO signed an agreement establishing a Collective Rapid Reaction Force to tackle terrorism.

• Following the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, it was widely believed that the CSTO states would get involved, but President Vladimir Putin announced on October 8, 2020, that the CSTO had no interest in getting involved in a territorial dispute.

• The CSTO members, including Russia, decided not to intervene in the Azerbaijan-Armenia border conflict. But if Azerbaijan violates Armenia's sovereignty, CSTO will be forced to take action.