Tajikistan will hold rotating Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) presidency next year and President Emomali Rahmon outlined the priorities of Tajikistan in the next intersessional period, according to the Tajik president’s official website.

Emomali Rahmon noted efforts of Russia to provide sustainable work of the Organization under today’s difficult conditions, when the world faces an unprecedented increase in security challenges and threats.

Emomali Rahmon made the remarks in Dushanbe while attending a session of the CSTO Collective Security Council (CSC) via video link.

Tajik leader highlighted the various socioeconomic difficulties that international community and CSTO member nations have faced due to the coronavirus pandemic, especially negative effects leading to increase in unemployment and threats to food security.  

He reportedly also indicated the upward trend in global threats of terrorism, extremism, various forms of radicalism and transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking.  

On the upcoming Tajikistan’s presidency in the CSTO, Emomali Rahmon underlined the country’s readiness to continue activities aimed at expansion of interaction between CSTO member nations to provide security and peaceful life of nationals of the CSTO member countries.

He also noted that during its chairmanship in the Organization, Tajikistan intends to focus on further support for expansion of political collaboration, continuation of work on expansion of military and technical cooperation as well as intensification of CSTO cooperation with international and regional organizations.

Rahmon also underlined the importance of further coordination of activities of special services in combating cyber-crime and implementation of the CSC on preparing a single list of organizations designated by the CSTO as terrorist ones.

Tajik leader also touched upon issues related to the situation along the southern border of the CSTO area of responsibility, the latest developments in Afghanistan and drug threat.  

Taking into consideration the coronavirus situation, Emomali Rahmon proposed to create a mechanism of cooperation within the framework of the CSTO to provide medical and biological security.