CSTO-UN cooperation in peacekeeping to be discussed at Minsk-hosted meeting

May 29, 2011 - 18:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The next meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council will be held in Minsk on June 1. The meeting will be attended by the foreign ministers of the states - members of the CSTO and the Secretary General of the organization. The meting participants will discuss cooperation with international organizations and foreign associations, and will coordinate the foreign policy of the CSTO member states in the international arena. In particular, the ministers will discuss opportunities for closer cooperation with the UN and OSCE secretariats in matters of joint counteracting modern threats and challenges.

The agenda will also include other important issues concerning the future prospects of development of the organization, including the implementation of the decisions of the last session of the CSTO Collective Security Council. Specific areas of CSTO-UN cooperation in the field of peacekeeping will be discussed.

The CSTO countries will specifically step up mediation efforts in settling various kinds of conflicts, including those in the Middle East and North Africa.

The agenda also features the setting up of a CSTO peacekeeping force. The Collective Security Treaty Organization comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

CSTO

The Collective Security Treaty Organization, formed under the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, serves as a mutual defense alliance among Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May 15, 1992 for five-year term, with the possibility of prolongation. On December 2, 2004 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Resolution to grant the observer status to the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the General Assembly of the United Nations. The goal of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is to strengthen peace and international and regional security and stability and to ensure collective protection of independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Member States, in the attainment of which Member States shall give priority to political methods. On February 4, 2009, the CSTO leaders approved formation of Collective Rapid Reaction Force (RRF).