Collective Security Treaty Organization
What is the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)?
Where is the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) headquartered?
What is Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty?
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The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military alliance of six post-Soviet states: Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus. Established in 2002 for the purpose of collective defense, the CSTO offers protection to members from threats to their security, territory, or sovereignty. Headquartered in Moscow, the organization is often positioned as the Eurasian equivalent of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The CSTO is one of several alliances formed between former Soviet republics following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Other alliances include the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Union.
Origins
The CSTO was predated by the Collective Security Treaty (CST), which was signed in 1992 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by six countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Three countries—Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia—joined the treaty the following year.
Article 4 of the CST established the alliance’s mutual defense commitment. It states, in part:
If one of the Member States undergoes aggression (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty), it will be considered by the Member States as aggression (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) to all the Member States of this Treaty.
In case of aggression commission (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) to any of the Member States, all the other Member States at request of this Member State shall immediately provide the latter with the necessary help, including military one.
This article mirrors Article 5 of NATO, which considers an attack on one member as an attack on all NATO members and obligates collective defense.
The CST was designed to be renewed, if desired, every five years. In 1999 all members except Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan renewed the treaty. In 2002 the remaining six members formed the CSTO at a summit in Chișinău, Moldova. This marked its evolution from a mutual defense agreement to a structured regional organization with permanent institutions and coordinated policies, formalized that year through the adoption of the CSTO Charter. The group was granted observer status in the United Nations General Assembly following a 2004 resolution. Uzbekistan briefly rejoined the CSTO in 2006 but withdrew in 2012.
Organization
The Collective Security Council (CSC) is the highest body of the CSTO and is composed of the heads of member countries. The council coordinates activities of members, formulates goals, and makes final decisions. CSC sessions are held at least once annually in member states. The secretary general is the CSTO’s highest-ranking administrative officer and is appointed by the heads of member states on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The position rotates among members, with each secretary general serving a three-year term.
- Collective Security Council: Highest decision-making body and sets policy direction
- CSTO Secretariat: Provides administrative support, led by secretary general
- CSTO Joint Staff: Responsible for military planning and cooperation
- Parliamentary Assembly: Examines the functioning of the organization
- Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils: Advisory and executive body for national security coordination
- Council of Ministers of Defense: Coordinates military policy and cooperation among members
- Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs: Coordinates foreign policy among members
Operations
Since its formation in 2002, the CSTO has focused on conducting peacekeeping operations and joint military exercises among members. It also collaborates with international organizations such as the United Nations, plays an active role in combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and coordinates border security and the regulation of migration from third countries. In January 2022 the CSTO launched its first collective security mission by deploying more than 2,000 troops to Kazakhstan at Pres. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s request. This intervention, which lasted about a week, aimed to restore order amid widespread unrest in the country following a hike in fuel prices.
In 2024 Armenia announced its intention to withdraw from the CSTO and declined to contribute to the organization’s budget. This reflected a growing view within the country that the CSTO could not guarantee Armenia’s security needs. Armenia was dissatisfied with what it saw as the organization’s limited role in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region with a significant Armenian population that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The CSTO maintained that its commitments did not cover Nagorno-Karabakh because the conflict did not occur on Armenian territory. Although Armenia invoked Article 4 during clashes with Azerbaijan in 2022, it remained dissatisfied with the CSTO’s limited response.