CSTO foreign ministers to discuss international security in Astana

    Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Yerzhan Kazykhanov will chair an extraordinary meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers on April 6 in Astana.
    The foreign ministers will discuss the draft agenda for the anniversary session of the Collective Security Council, which will be dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 10th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The meeting will be attended by CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, press secretary of the organization Vladimir Zaynetdinov said.
    The meeting will discuss the fundamental positions of CSTO member states on important global and regional security issues and additional measures for collective cooperation to resolve these, and to strengthen allied solidarity in the presence of external threats.
    The foreign ministers will consider the growing problem of countering threats and challenges emanating from Afghanistan in connection with the transfer of responsibility for the country’s security to Afghanistan’s security forces. Among these is strengthening the borders of Tajikistan, as well as the organization of the transit of goods for the International Security Assistance Force.
    During the meeting, it is expected to assess the situation in connection with the worsening situation in the Middle East, Western Asia and North Africa (the events in Syria, the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in Pakistan, etc.)
    CSTO Secretary General will report on the status of cooperation and coordination of foreign policy objectives for the organization's member states.
    The foreign ministers will outline agreed upon approaches to the placement of U.S. missile defenses in Europe, and will consider a draft decision on the plan for consultation of representatives from CSTO member states on foreign policy in the second half of 2012 to the first half of 2013, Gazeta.kz states.