MOSCOW. Oct 26 (Interfax) - Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Stanislav Zas has declared a priority of relations between parliaments of CSTO member states.
"Parliamentary dimension is a cornerstone of our organization, therefore the CSTO Secretariat attributes a high significance to the interaction with the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly as an instrument strengthening and raising the efficiency of the organization," the CSTO Secretariat quoted Zas as saying.
Zas took part in a working meeting of members of the CSTO Permanent Council with parliamentary representatives of CSTO member states to the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
"Today's meeting is even more timely, as the development of the parliamentary dimension has been declared a priority of Armenia's presidency in the Collective Security Treaty Organization in 2021-2022," Zas said.
Meanwhile, Viktor Biyagov, CSTO Parliamentary Assembly chairman and Armenian permanent representative to the CSTO, said that the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly plays an important role in the adoption of model laws and recommendations that help harmonize legislations of CSTO member states and ensure their compliance with international agreements concluded by the CSTO.
"In the context of the parliamentary dimension, it is important to ensure the rapprochement and harmonization of national laws of CSTO member states in the provision of national security with due account of new threats and challenges. We also believe it is important to develop CSTO parliamentary diplomacy for building dialogue at international parliamentary organizations and forums," Biyagov said.
"The need to develop and effectively use the public diplomacy instrument in order to form a positive image of the organization was expressed at the meeting," the statement said.
The CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.