MOSCOW, Mar. 28 (Sputnik) - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) aims to expand participation in peacekeeping initiatives beyond the organization’s area of responsibility, CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov said.

“The organization traditionally pays special attention to the peacekeeping track.... The CSTO aims to expand participation in peacekeeping initiatives outside of the organization’s area of responsibility as well. Close interaction with influential international organizations is necessary here," Tasmagambetov told the Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense) magazine.

Moreover, the possibility of the enlargement of the CSTO is not ruled out, the need for political and military alliances is increasing significantly, the CSTO secretary general stressed.

The CSTO is a regional security alliance of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.

"Of course, generally, such a possibility [of enlargement] is not ruled out. The fact is that against the backdrop of the breakdown of the old world order, accompanied by the resumption of old conflicts and the emergence of new ones, the need for military and political alliances is significantly increasing. Especially since the CSTO offers very favorable conditions for participation. One of the main ones, I believe, is a democratic decision-making procedure within the organization and the absence of rigid "bloc discipline." It is also of key importance that the CSTO gives priority to political and diplomatic methods of resolving crisis situations," Tasmagambetov said in the interview.

The secretary general did not rule out that a kind of driver in the enlargement of the organization or the emergence of new cooperation formats within the CSTO will be peacekeeping activities, the need for which in the foreseeable future, unfortunately, will only increase.

Armenia has not recently participated in the work of the CSTO Secretariat, but the Secretariat has not received any official statements from Yerevan on the suspension of its membership, CSTO Secretary General clarified.

"Yerevan indeed has not recently participated in the work of the CSTO Secretariat. This is Armenia's decision at this stage, and we, as an international organization, respect any decision of a sovereign state. Nevertheless, the activities of the organization continue in full, and all procedures are followed in full compliance with the CSTO legal framework. The secretariat informs the relevant structures in Yerevan about the decisions taken and adopted in the working mode. Regarding the mentioned statements by the officials of the Republic of Armenia, I would like to say that the secretariat has not received any official statements from Yerevan on the suspension of membership in the CSTO," Tasmagambetov explained.

He added that the CSTO secretariat works in strict compliance with the regulations and procedures adopted in the organization.

"We, of course, using the efforts of our analysts and the tools at their disposal, analyze the situation around Armenia and Armenia's relations with the CSTO. I have to admit that certain developments and sentiments among the Armenian elites cause concerns. But we hope for the political sobriety of the Armenian leadership and a balanced assessment of the prospects for the implementation of various scenarios with regard to the organization. I would like to emphasize that Armenia remains our ally, and all existing commitments are in force," the secretary general said.

The CSTO is a regional security alliance of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.

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