DUSAHNBE, May 31, Asia-Plus — Defense ministers from the CIS states set priorities and main directions of activity for the next four years, the Agenstvo Natsionalnykh Novostey news agency cited Russian defense minister as saying at a meeting of the council of the CIS defense ministers in the capital of
Azerbaijan
on May 31.
“Those attending made a decision to update the structure of the council, approved guidelines for the council”s work to 2010, and coordinated financial issues on a combined air defense system for 2007,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said.
Sergey Ivanov also agreed to extend the tenure of Sergey Chaban as commander of peacekeeping forces in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone for six months.
“The session was fruitful and met all expectations,” the Russian minister said.
On the long-running dispute between
Armenia
and
Azerbaijan
over the Nagorny Karabakh region, Sergey Ivanov noted that it should be resolved by the two countries themselves and not by third parties, according to RIA Movosti. Sergey Ivanov was cited as saying that any settlement scheme imposed from the outside could in my opinion be not only counterproductive, but also very dangerous. He said international mediators should not try to impose a solution on
Armenia
and
Azerbaijan
, but should facilitate the implementation of any agreement the sides may reach over Karabakh bilaterally.
Ivanov also said peacekeepers could be deployed in the zone of the conflict, which claimed 30,000 lives on both sides between 1988 and 1994 after the Azerbaijani region with a largely Armenian population proclaimed independence from
Azerbaijan
in a bid to join
Armenia
. “I do not rule out the possibility of peacekeepers appearing in the Karabakh conflict zone in the foreseeable future to enforce all political agreements that will be reached sooner or later,” he said.
The CIS defense ministers also considered the implementation of the Concept for CIS military cooperation to 2010, the activities of CIS Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, and a joint action plan for operative training in the CIS armed forces for 2007.
