CIS Collective Security Treaty members to focus on Afghanistan

Interfax news agency
19 May 05

Moscow, 19 May: Representatives of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization [CSTO] will discuss the situation surrounding the
organization’s action zone as well as the situation around Afghanistan
at the forthcoming consultations, the CSTO press service has reported.

At the forthcoming Moscow round of consultations on 25 May deputy
foreign ministers, deputy defence ministers and the secretaries of
the member-countries’ security councils will discuss the situation in
the area of the organization’s activity, the military and political
situation in Afghanistan and will coordinate the work of the CSTO
members regarding the post-conflict restoration in the country,
the press release said.

It is planned that the plenary session will discuss a draft plan for
priority measures aimed at the all-round strengthening of inter-state
cooperation, forming and developing a system of collective security
within the framework of the CSTO for 2006-2010, draft documents
regarding normative and organizational aspects of creating a
peacekeeping procedure within the framework of the CSTO.

Separate meetings of deputy foreign and defence ministers and the
secretaries of the member-countries’ security councils will look into
a number of other issues.

The CSTO secretary-general, Nikolay Bordyuzha, will take part in
the consultations.

The CSTO was set up in May 2002 and comprises Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.