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08 November 2018, 12:54

Lukashenko arrives in Astana for CSTO summit

ASTANA, 8 November (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has arrived in Kazakhstan on a working visit to take part in a session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), BelTA has learned.

The Belarusian leader was welcomed at the airport by Kazakhstan's Minister of Finance Alikhan Smailov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vasilenko and Astana Deputy Akim Ermek Amanshayev.

A joint session of the CSTO Foreign Ministers Council, the CSTO Defense Ministers Council and the CSTO Committee of Security Councils' Secretaries took place in Astana in the morning of 8 November in the run-up to the session of the heads of state.

The main part of the event was held behind closed doors. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei presented Belarus' position on the most burning issues of the global and international agenda and emphasized the importance of joint effort to fulfill the tasks facing the organization. He also put forward proposals on improving foreign policy coordination of the CSTO member states.

The parties shared views on the topical issues of the international agenda and discussed coordination of policies within the framework of the organization and on the international arena. They suggested the CSTO priorities during Kyrgyzstan's presidency in the organization in 2018-2019.

They also harmonized a series of documents submitted to the heads of the delegations during the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.

As BelTA reported earlier, the agenda of the summit includes issues of international and regional security, coordination of foreign policy of the CSTO member states, the organization's current and projected activities, including personnel matters, organizational and financial issues. On the sidelines of the event, the participants of the summit discussed candidates for the position of the CSTO Secretary General after Armenia's representative Yuri Khachaturov was released of his duties.

The heads of state of the CSTO participating countries will hold an expanded-participation session and a meeting in reduced format. The summit will conclude with signing a number of international documents. The most important documents include a draft declaration of the CSTO Collective Security Council, a statement of the leaders of the CSTO member states on coordinated measures against individuals who participated in armed conflicts on the side of international terrorist organizations, decisions on the legalization of an observer status with the CSTO and a partner status at the organization as well as a decision on the status of the crisis response center of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a decision on the composition of military contingents and the formation of special forces of the CSTO collective rapid response forces. A draft decision of the Collective Security Council on developing a collective system to counter illegal migration through 2025 is to be adopted.

The session will also highlight issues related to further improvement of the military component of the organization and a draft regulation on the coordination council of the heads of the competent authorities to counteract illegal drug trafficking in the CSTO zone.

The Collective Security Council is to take a decision on financial support of the organization's agencies in 2019.

The Collective Security Council is composed of the presidents of the CSTO member states: Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. Kazakhstan presides in the organization now. Armenia will be represented by Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

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