Monday, July 02, 2012 -
Uzbekistan’s departure from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will not stall the military buildup of the Kremlin-led alliance, Moscow’s top military brass said on Friday.
A day earlier, Uzbekistan informed the CSTO Secretariat it was walking out of the military-political grouping of former Soviet countries.
Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov told journalists the departure of the Central Asian republic was more disadvantageous than advantageous, the Xinhua news agency reported.
He added that, “As before, we will make all necessary steps together with our allies to strengthen the organization’s military capacity and ensure regional security.”
Igor Lyakin-Frolov, Russia’s envoy to the CSTO, said Uzbekistan had the right to take such as decision but the remaining six bloc members are now considering the legal and political repercussions of Uzbekistan’s withdrawal along with a unified perspective on the grouping's future.
Makarov noted that Uzbekistan de facto turned its back on the bloc long ago by failing to ink numerous CTSO documents and participate in several of its meetings.
With the departure of Uzbekistan the CSTO, sometimes dubbed “Russia’s NATO,” now comprises Central Asian states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, along with Russia, Armenia, and Belarus.