CSTO summit kicks off in Minsk

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko welcomed the leaders of the CSTO nations in the Grand Ceremonial Hall. Those were the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. After the photo-op, the leaders will take part in the CSTO Collective Security Council session that will be chaired by Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the only leader of the CSTO member state who did not come to Minsk for the summit. It was not the first time the Armenian leader refused to take part in integration events. In October he missed the CIS summit in Bishkek.

At a narrow-participation meeting the heads of state will discuss international and regional security issues and take stock of the CSTO's activities in the inter-sessional period. The presidents will be briefed by the CSTO secretary general and exchange views.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is expected to speak at the plenary meeting about the CSTO priority areas during Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the organization.

The leaders of the CSTO member states are expected to sign the Declaration of the CSTO Collective Security Council. The list of documents for signing also includes a number of CSTO Collective Security Council decisions related to the improvement of the CSTO crisis response system, the operation of the CSTO joint press center, the institution of the Together for Peace Medal, and the CSTO budget.

The heads of state are also expected to decide on the candidate for the post of the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, the structure of the CSTO Joint Staff, the distribution of quotas in the Secretariat, the awarding of the CSTO medals, the chairmanship in the Organization, as well as the time and place of the next session of the CSTO.