Putin arrives in Minsk for two summits

ITAR-TASS, Russia
June 23 2006

MINSK, June 23 (Itar-Tass) – Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived
by plane in Minsk on Friday for two summits – one of the Eurasian
Economic Community and the other of the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation.

The EurAsEC forum will discuss first of all customs union formation,
and the CSTO summit is expected to result in signing of an agreement
on collective quick-deployment forces. The two forums will discuss
consolidation of cooperation between the EurAsEC and the CSTO,
a Kremlin source told Itar-Tass.

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are members
of both organisations. Armenia is the sixth member of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation. Uzbekistan joined the Eurasian Economic
Community last January. Moldova, Ukraine and Armenia have the status
of observers in the EurAsEC.