Military and political situation near the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is mainly developing in a negative way, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said during the Yerevan-Moscow-Minsk-Bishkek-Astana space bridge.

As Sidorov noted, various provocations connected with economic and political sanctions lead to a decrease in the use of force.

“The danger in this sense is the destruction of the arms control system. The United States, which suspended their participation in Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, is playing a key role here. Washington’s similar moves are a matter of concern even among its allies. In addition, the NATO bloc in Eastern European countries intend to deploy additional forces, moreover, near the CSTO member countries, which is a matter of concern. The situation in Ukraine, whose leadership is making efforts to bring its military formations in line with NATO standards, is one of the hotbeds of destabilization on the border of the CSTO member countries,” the Colonel General emphasized.

Anatoly Sidorov added that the difficult situation is maintained in the Caucasus. In particular, the desire of Western countries, including the United States, to strengthen its influence in the region contributes to the presence of a high conflict potential. The situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia continues to pose a security challenge in the region, he believes.

“At the same time, Georgia is blocking the negotiation process, refusing to sign commitments on the non-use of forces against Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In addition, the US leadership actively supports Georgia’s anti-Russian policy and the desire of Tbilisi to join NATO,” he added.

As to the Central Asia, the main danger continues to be the ongoing armed conflict in Afghanistan. There has been an increase in the activities of the Taliban and Islamic State terrorist organizations in the north of Afghanistan, which borders on the CSTO member countries.