CSTO in favor of disarmament, arms control

The press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry told BelTA, the statement had been prepared upon Belarus' initiative. Belarus now presides over the CSTO. The statement was approved at an informal meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the CSTO member states in New York on 26 September.

The foreign ministers of the CSTO member states believe that ensuring equal and indivisible security of all countries as a condition of advancement towards nuclear disarmament is a priority along with tougher non-proliferation procedures, support for creating areas free from nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, provision and observance of security guarantees.

The statement underlines that the counteraction of military political, terrorist, and criminal challenges and threats is none the less important. The matter should be raised at relevant international forums. The development of rules of behavior in this area is also important along with the need to take effective measures to prevent new WMDs from being developed. The development of international transparency measures and stronger trust in space industry, prevention of deployment of any weapons in the outer space are topical matters.