CIS SECURITY CHIEF HOLDS TALKS WITH BELARUSIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL
Belapan news agency
29 Apr 04
MINSK
The secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), Nikolay Bordyuzha, noted three main current areas of CSTO
activities during his meeting with the chairman of the committee for
international affairs and national security of the Council of the
Republic (Belarusian parliament’s upper house), Mikalay Charhinets, on
29 April in Minsk.
According to him, this includes coordination of foreign policy of
member states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Russia), formation of the organization’s military component and,
above all, counteracting modern threats and challenges. Bordyuzha said
that the ways of development of the CSTO military component will be
discussed at the next session of the Collective Security Treaty
Council scheduled for June in Astana (Kazakhstan). “The existence of
the military component is a factor of deterrence,” Bordyuzha said.
Speaking about CSTO activities aimed at counteracting modern threats
and challenges, the organization’s secretary-general noted the fight
against drugs and terrorism. According to him, the creation of a
single legal basis on these issues and informational support are
becoming quite topical in this respect. Bordyuzha recalled with
satisfaction that the Channel operation was carried out within the
CSTO framework in 2004. Law-enforcement agencies of the organization’s
member states, including Belarusian special services and the Interior
Ministry, were involved in the operation. The operation resulted in
the confiscation of about two tonnes of drugs, approximately the same
quantity of precursors and institution of 1,500 criminal cases in the
area of illegal turnover of drugs.
Nikolay Bordyuzha also said that the CSTO has been registered with the
UN and the issue of granting it observer status with the UN is
currently being discussed. The organization has established ties with
security bodies of the UN and OSCE.
The goal of Bordyuzha’s two-day visit to Minsk is to prepare the next
session of the Collective Security Treaty Council. He had meetings to
this effect with the head of the presidential administration, Ural
Latypaw, on 28 April and took part in a joint board session of the
defence ministries of Belarus and Russia. Bordyuzha had a meeting with
leaders of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on 29 April.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
