15 June 2004 09:32
Astana preparing for meeting of CSTO consultative bodies
MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - The joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Council of Defense
Ministers, to be attended by security council secretaries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)
member-states, is scheduled for Friday in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. "There are 12 issues on the agenda of the
joint meeting of Collective Security Treaty Organization consultative bodies to be held in Astana, which pertain to
further development of regional and international security, military and technological cooperation, and combating
today's challenges and threats," Alexander Orlov, official of the CSTO press service, told Interfax-Military
News Agency. He added that the participants would lay the focus of the discussion on international policy and military
and technological interaction of member-states. "For instance, they will adopt drafts of documents on the CSTO
Unified HQ, which started operation January 1 this year, as well as will approve the large-scale Rubezh-2004 tactical
exercise to be held this summer in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan by the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces, headquartered in
Central Asia," Orlov said. He stressed that CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha will also participate in the
discussion. "Bordyuzha will speak on the issues under discussion," Orlov said. According to him, a set of
other important matters, relating to further improvement of the organization will be discussed during the joint meeting
of the supreme consulting bodies, and then at the session of the Collective Security Council to be held in Astana
Friday. As of now, there are six member-states in the Organization, namely Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia and Tajikistan. The Collective Security Council is the supreme political body of the CSTO. It includes leaders of
member-states, foreign ministers, defense ministers, secretaries of security councils and the secretary general of the
Organization. The CSTO supreme consulting bodies are the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Council of Defense
Ministers of member-states. [RU KZ EUROPE EEU EMRG POL]
[Interfax] |
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