CIS def mins to coordinate efforts on non-proliferation of WMDs
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 21, 2004 Friday
YEREVAN, May 21 — The defence ministers of CIS countries backed an
initiative by the Russian Foreign Ministry to coordinate positions
of the Commonwealth countries on non-proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov who chaired the meeting, said
that meeting participants “unanimously backed proposals on concerting
positions of our countries on such a pressing international problem”.
Summing up meeting results, Ivanov noted that much attention was
given to the operation of the CIS United Air Defence System. He said
that “the adoption of a Targeted Programme for ensuring comprehensive
counteraction by armed forces of the Commonwealth countries to forces
and means of an air attack by a potential enermy will be another
important and efficient measure to improve multilateral cooperation
in this sphere. “Its draft was approved today and will be submitted
to the Council of the CIS Heads of Government,” the minister specified.
According to Ivanov, meeting participants adopted important decisions
on joint actions on training CIS armed forces in 2005, organizing
activities of collective peacekeeping forces of the Commonwealth,
raising security of flights of military aviation, creating a United
Communications System and improving cooperation in weather forecast
work.
The meeting was attended by all CIS ministers, apart from Turkmenistan
and Azerbaijan. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan received the
defence ministers on Friday. Ivanov who chaired the meetings, informed
the president of its results. He emphasized that decisions, taken at
the meeting, “will help to consolidate security and stability over
the entire space of the Commonwealth”.
Ivanov who arrived in Yerevan on a working visit, held talks on
Thursday with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sarkisyan. “We have made
another important and practical step towards deepening Russian-Armenian
strategic partnership, security of our countries as well as maintenance
of peace and stability in Transcaucasia,” the minister said, summing
up the results of the meeting with his colleague.