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CSTO states’ leaders to discuss creation of joint air force

Major attention to be given to protection of borders of member states
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Alexey Nikolski
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Alexey Nikolski

MOSCOW, September 17 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in a regular session of the Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan), which will be held in Sochi on September 23, the Kremlin press service reported.

“It is planned to discuss further strengthening of allied cooperation and improvement of the CSTO collective security system. The progress of implementing the decisions of the CSTO December (2012) session and CSTO informal summit (May 28, 2013) in Bishkek will be analysed. The heads of state will consider ways to modernise the CSTO troops’ command and control mechanisms, as well as the possible creation of the Organisation’s air force,” the Kremlin noted.

In addition, “major attention will be given to the protection of the borders of the member states, especially in view of the upcoming 2014 withdrawal of the foreign military contingent from Afghanistan.”

“The priorities of the Organisation’s activities during the Russian CSTO presidency (at the session the CSTO presidency will be handed over to Russia from Kyrgyzstan) will be presented,” the press service said.

CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said earlier that on the eve of the meeting of the CSTO heads of state in Sochi, a joint meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defence Ministers and Committee of CSTO Security Council Secretaries will be held.

And the Organisation’s leaders will consider a package of documents on the development of the alliance’s military component; the heads of state will also hear a report on the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border and make proposals for improving the effectiveness of the guarding of the borders of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

According to Bordyuzha, some time ago, a group of experts of the CSTO countries familiarised themselves with the protection of the state border with Afghanistan, the system and level of equipment of Tajikistan’s border troops. “As a result they made a conclusion that it is necessary to provide assistance to the Tajikistani border guards in improving border security,” he said.