ARMENIA READY TO ENHANCE CLOSER CONTACTS WITH CSTO – SPEAKER

ITAR-TASS
July 22 2008
Russia

Armenia has ratified all documents related to the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation’s (CSTO) activity and is ready to boost closer
cooperation and coordinated work with the organisation, Chairman of
the Armenian National Assembly Tigran Torosian said during Tuesday’s
meeting with CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha.

Bordyuzha has arrived in Armenia to attend CSTO joint command and
staff exercises Rubezh-2008.

According to Torosian, he pays huge importance to the activity of
the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly based on fair ideas and principles,
as well as new spheres of development.

The Armenian speaker lauded practical steps aimed at the higher
efficiency of the assembly’s work and expressed readiness to promote
their implementation, the parliamentary press service told Itar-Tass.

In Torosian’s words, the military exercises, which started on Tuesday,
is a new step opening new prospects for cooperation between the CSTO
member states.

Bordyuzha highly assessed the war games, which are of huge military
and political importance for the CSTO.

Touching upon activity of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, he spoke
in favour of closer interaction, the press service said.

With this in mind, Bordyuzha recognises as a very efficient measure
closed-door meetings of parliament speakers of CSTO member countries,
as well as meetings of CSTO parliamentary delegations to various
international organisations for studying each other’s stances.

Starting from September 5, Armenia will chair the CSTO. Bordyuzha
expressed wish that the Armenian parliament to take part in this
process.

"CSTO is the organisation of collective peace, not war, and we should
do our best to support cooperation and security," Bordyuzha stressed.

CSTO unites Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress