CSTO BACKS RUSSIA’S ACTIONS IN S.OSSETIA, CONDEMNS GEORGIA

RIA Novosti
15:03 | 04/ 09/ 2008

MOSCOW, September 4 (RIA Novosti) – Foreign ministers from the members
of the Collective Security Treaty Organization blasted Thursday
Georgia’s attack on breakaway South Ossetia and supported Russia’s
contribution to peace in the region.

"We have come out with support for Russia’s active role in contributing
to peace and cooperation in the region," Armenian Foreign Minister
Edvard Nalbandyan said, citing the joint statement.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a security
grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

The foreign ministers’ statement pointed to the danger of increasing
military deployments to the Caucasus and attempting to use force in
resolving conflicts.

The ministers also came out for a rigorous implementation of the
Medvedev-Sarkozy peace plan in order "to thwart new attempts to use
force in settling the conflict and securing peace and stability in
the region."

The heads of the security councils of the CSTO met Tuesday in Yerevan,
Armenia. They backed a Russian proposal to impose an arms embargo
on Georgia.

South Ossetia was attacked by Georgian forces on August 8. The
majority of residents of South Ossetia hold Russian citizenship,
and Moscow launched a massive operation to expel Georgian troops from
the region and to reinforce its peacekeepers.

On August 26, Russia recognized South Ossetia and another Georgian
breakaway republic, Abkhazia, as independent states.