DUSHANBE, September 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe to attend a two-day summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a security alliance of six former Soviet republics.
On his way to the CSTO summit, opening on Monday, Putin made a stop in Russia's southern republic of Ingushetia to hold a meeting on social and economic development of the region and talk to the republic’s head, Yunus-bek Yevkurov.
In Dushanbe, Putin is scheduled to attend an informal dinner on Monday with other leaders of the CSTO member states alongside the summit’s main program, due to begin on Tuesday, the Russian president’s top foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told journalists.
After Monday’s dinner, Putin is expected to hold a separate meeting with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon later in the day. Ushakov said the leaders of the two nations would discuss Russia’s support for Tajikistan. Putin and Rahmon already raised the issue in phone talks on September 5.
"Our president expressed firm support to the Tajikistani leadership’s efforts to bring the situation in the republic to order and ensure stability," Ushakov said. "Of course, we are ready to render assistance and political support. I think that this issue will be on top of the agenda at the meeting," he added.
Besides, Putin and Rahmon will focus on "issues of further strengthening multi-faceted mutually beneficial cooperation in defence and national economy", Ushakov said.
The meeting with the Tajik leader and the summit itself are taking place amid an anti-terrorist operation launched on September 4 against a group of former Deputy Defence Minister Abdukhalim Nazarzoda.
Tajikistan’s authorities said last week that unprecedented measures had been taken to protect summit participants. All roads to Dushanbe as well as strategic facilities and public buildings hosting CSTO delegates are under control.
Another bilateral meeting Putin is scheduled to hold on the sidelines of the summit on Tuesday will be with Kyrgyzstan’s President Almazbek Atambayev.
On Tuesday, Dushanbe will also host a meeting of the foreign ministers’ council, the defence ministers’ council and the committee of secretaries of defence councils.
The key program of Tuesday’s session of the CSTO council envisages a meeting between the leaders in the narrow and broad formats, signing of joint documents, and a reception given by the summit host.
The council will discuss the CSTO activity alongside key regional and global issues affecting the member states’ security, Ushakov said. "Certainly, top priority will be given to an increased activity of terrorist and extremist groups, and the situation in general along the CSTO countries’ borders," he said.
More than ten joint documents are due to be signed at the summit, including the leaders’ statement on key approaches to the current international agenda, namely new challenges and threats.
The sides will also decide on the election of the secretary general and the head of the united headquarters of the CSTO. The issue whether Nikolai Bordyuzha might be re-elected as the organization’s chief will be discussed behind the closed doors, Ushakov said.
After the summit, Armenia will take over the one-year presidency of the CSTO.
The Collective Security Treaty was signed in 1992 and the Collective Security Treaty Organization comprising Russia and former Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was established ten years later. The organization’s top priorities are "strengthening of peace, international and regional security and stability, protection of independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of its member states".