DUSHANBE, June 2, 2009, Asia-Plus — Defense Minister, Colonel-General Sherali Khairulloyev, today departed for Moscow to attend a session of the council of defense ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states that will held there on June 3.
According to press service of the Ministry of Defense (MoD), the meeting is aiming to discuss the process of implementation of the decision on formation of the CSTO rapid-reaction forces and consider the prepared legal foundation of formation and use of the rapid-reaction forces.
The ministers will also consider a report by the chairman of the council of defense ministers on a progress of implementation of the CSTO coalition military construction plan for the period till 2010 and consider draft agreements on the main principles of creation of a system of covered management of forces and means of the collective security system, reserves of tangible assets to provide formation of forces and means in this system, etc.
A draft plan on joint actions of the CSTO member nations to promote stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan and address challenges and threats emanating from Afghanistan as well as a draft plan on consultations on foreign policy, security and defense for the second half-year of 2009 and the first half-year of 2010 are also supposed to be submitted for consideration to the CSTO defense ministers’ session in Moscow.
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.
