THREE COUNTRIES TO MISS CIS DEFENSE MINISTERS MEETING

ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 29, 2006 Monday 08:03 PM EST

Three out of twelve countries will miss a meeting of CIS defense
ministers in Baku on Wednesday, while over a half of those attending
will be represented by deputy defense ministers, according to the
Russian defense ministry.

It said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will leave for the
capital of Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

It is the venue of the meeting, which made Armenia refuse to attend.

“The Armenian refusal was caused by the venue of the meeting – Baku
– in the context of continuing contradictions with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno Karabakh”, the ministry said, adding Georgia is planning to
withdraw from the CIS altogether, while Turkmenistan “sticks to its
policy of neutrality and non-participation in military-political
alliances”.

“Participants in the meeting will discuss over 20 issues concerning
military and military-technical cooperation, including the development
of the Unified air defense system, the creation of the Unified
communications system, interaction of metrological services, and air
flights safety. The concept of military cooperation of CIS states
up to 2010 is to be approved. Specific place will be occupied by the
discussion of peacekeeping activities on CIS space, first and foremost,
in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict,” the ministry said.

In Baku Ivanov plans to hold several bilateral meetings, including
with his Ukrainian counterpart Anatoly Gritsenko. Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev is expected to receive meeting participants.