AGREEMENT ON CSTO COLLECTIVE RAPID-REACTION FORCE SIGNED IN MOSCOW

NOYAN TAPAN
June 15, 2009
MOSCOW

MOSCOW, JUNE 15, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 14, the delegation led by RA
President Serzh Sargsyan participated in the CSTO Collective Security
Council regular sitting in Moscow.

Presidents of Armenia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
signed agreement On CSTO Collective Rapid-Reaction Force and documents
attached to it, which establish the status of the force, the order
of its formation and activity, use rules, collective force staff.

The Presidents approved the annual report of the CSTO Secretary
General, the report of the country presiding at the structure, Armenia,
on fulfillment of the actions plan in the period of its chairmanship,
as well as on activity priorities in the second half of 2009 and first
half of 2010, on elaboration of effective measures on fighting illegal
migration, on rapid-reaction united forces in emergency situations,
and other documents.

Due to the fact that the President of Belarus did not take part in
Moscow sitting, the chairmanship in the structure was temporarily
given to the Russian Federation.

RF President Dmitry Medvedev thanked S. Sargsyan for efficient work in
the period of chairmanship in the structure expressing the hope that
the decisions made will contribute to strengthening of member states’
security and creation of collective counteraction complete forces.

According to the RA President’s Press Office, at the end of
the meeting, at a joint press conference with the RF President,
S. Sargsyan said that creation of CSTO collective rapid-reaction
force is realization of all ideas being the basis of the Collective
Security Treaty.

The delegation led by S. Sargsyan including RA National Security
Council Secretary Artur Baghdasarian, RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, Defence Minister Seyran Ohanian, other high-ranking
officials returned to Yerevan late in the evening of June 14.