MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - The deputy foreign ministers of the countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have held offline consultations in Moscow that addressed preparations for meetings of the charter bodies in April-May 2021, cooperation with third countries and international organizations, and the development of public diplomacy.
"There was a lively exchange of opinions on a broad range of issues concerning the role and place of the CSTO in today's international architecture, popularization of the organization's activities and increasing its authority," CSTO press secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov told reporters on Thursday.
"The consultations also addressed issues relating to the development of relations with the CIS and the SCO," he said.
"Bearing in mind the entry into force on January 19, 2021 of documents establishing partner and observer statuses in the CSTO, special attention will be given to the establishment of cooperation with interested countries and international organizations," Zainetdinov said.
CSTO General Secretary Stanislav Zas said at the consultations that new opportunities are emerging for involving interested third countries and international organizations in interaction through the CSTO.
"All changes needed for that have been made to the charter of the organization. We now have to determine the states and international organizations that could seek observer or partner statuses in the CSTO, and also come up with an algorithm for working with potential candidates," he said.
Speaking about the CSTO's public diplomacy, Zas said it is a component of official diplomacy. It is a package of measures taken to systematically inform the public and political circles of the CSTO member states and third countries about the main areas of CSTO activities, with an emphasis on the possibilities of civil society on the national, regional and international levels.
"The practical purpose of public diplomacy is to communicate to the global public objective information about the CSTO, positions on main international problems, the formation of the positive image of the Organization as an effective multi-function security structure on the Eurasian space. Eventually, to assist the broad-spectrum process for forming favorable external conditions for the safe and stable development of the CSTO states," Zas said.
The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.