Kazakh, CIS security leaders discuss fighting “modern threats”

Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty
12 May 04

Astana, 12 May: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and CIS
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General
Nikolay Bordyuzha discussed preparations for the next session of the
organization in Astana on 12 May.

The session will be held at the level of the presidents of the CSTO
member states in Astana on 18-19 June this year.

“I briefed the Kazakh president on the results of the CSTO’s activities
in 2003 and on the preparations for the organization’s next session
which is due in Astana on 18-19 June,” Bordyuzha told journalists
following the meeting with Nazarbayev.

The CSTO secretary-general noted that he and the Kazakh president had
discussed “adapting the CSTO’s activities to modern challenges and
threats”, prospects for the organization’s development, including the
coordination of the member states’ foreign policies, and aspects of
“perfecting the military components” within the CSTO.

At the same time, Bordyuzha stressed that “the main and priority
direction” for cooperation among the CSTO members is fighting common
challenges and threats: terrorism, drugs business, political extremism
and separatism.

The CSTO members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan.