BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

25/12/2006

Belarus FM welcomes restoration of Uzbekistan's membership in CSTO

The restoration of Uzbekistan's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will give a new impetus to the military bloc's activities, Belarusian Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov said at Friday's session of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Minsk.

The Belarusian minister said that the organization's increased membership was evidence of ongoing quality transformations.

The establishment of a parliamentary assembly in the framework of the organization will bring CSTO activities to a new level, Mr. Martynov noted.

Speaking at a meeting of lawmakers representing CSTO countries in Minsk on Friday, Nikolai Bordyuzha, the organization's secretary general, called for transforming the military bloc into an international organization with broader functions.

The organization plans to establish rapid response, peacekeeping and anti-terror forces, the official said.

Mr. Bordyuzha said that none of the CSTO countries can feel safe at present. He pointed to a volatile situation in the Central Asian and Caucasian regions. Apart from this, he added, "we are very much concerned about the restoration and creation of military infrastructure around Belarus and Russia."

Source:

http://news.uzreport.com/mir.cgi?lan=e&id=25494