YEREVAN. – CSTO  member states are faced with complex global security threats, commander of the CSTO joint forces said.

Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, said the threats affect the political, economic, information and other vital spheres of activity.

“A system of collective security for the bloc’s member states has been created to counter the whole spectrum of challenges and threats,” he said during Tuesday’s videoconference.

At the same time, as Colonel-General noted, the strategic goal of the organization until the period of 2025 will be to ensure collective security by consolidating the efforts and resources of the CSTO member states on the basis of strategic partnership and universally recognized norms and principles of international law.

“The key element of the collective security system is the forces and means, the formation of which is carried out both unilaterally and on a bilateral basis,” Colonel-General added.

In addition, the number of collective joint forces exceeds 17,000 people, while total number of CSTO peacekeeping forces is 3,600.