DUSHANBE, March 11, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha and Russia’s Security Council Deputy Secretary Yuri Zubakov heading delegations of the CSTO and Russia’s Security Council will visit Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan next week, according to the CSTO Secretariat.
The purpose of the visit is for the delegations to assess and analyze the current situation and trends of development of the situation in the areas bordering Afghanistan and discuss the regional security issues.
Osh and Batken regions in southern Kyrgyzstan will be the first leg of their regional visit. In Kyrgyzstan, the delegations will hold talks with Vice-Premier Shamil Atakhanov and heads of the law enforcement agencies ad special services of Kyrgyzstan.
After visiting southern regions of Kyrgyzstan, the delegations of the CSTO and Russia’s Security Council will arrive in Khujand, the capital of the Tajik northern Sughd province, where they will hold consultation with Tajik Security Council Secretary Amirqul Azimov. Since activation of extremist groups in Central Asia evokes serious concern of the CSTO, additional measures to provide regional security will be the focus of the consultations, the CSTO Secretariat noted.
In Dushanbe, the CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha will participate at a meeting of the working group for Afghanistan at the CSTO council of foreign ministers that will take place in the Tajik capital from March 16-17.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization now groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The regional security organization was initially formed in 1992 for a five-year period by the members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) — Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which were joined by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Belarus the following year. A 1994 treaty reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force,” and prevented signatories from joining any other military alliances or other groups of states directed against members states. The CST was then extended for another five-year term in April 1999, and was signed by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. In October 2002, the group was renamed as the CSTO. Uzbekistan joined the Organization in 2006.
