In recent news, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – a coalition consisting of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – ratified an agreement on February 4th to establish a collective security force in the region.
The security force, consisting primarily of Russian paratroopers, would increase from its present size of 3,000 to a force of approximately 10,000 troops and be under a unified command. This military force would be utilized to combat terrorism and extremism, transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, regional emergencies, as well as to counteract “military aggression” in the area.
The establishment of this coalition comes in unison with Russia doling out a lot of funding in the area — including $2 billion to Kyrgyzstan who recently closed down the U.S. base at Manas and $7.7 billion of a US$10 billion “crisis fund” which will provide economic relief to those in Central Asia suffering from the current economic climate.
During the recent summit in Moscow, the CSTO also extended the term of former Russian KGB officer Nikolai Bordyuzha as secretary general of the coalition for an additional three years.