BISHKEK, November 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek on Thursday to take part in the Collective Security Council of the post-Soviet security bloc, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
In the airport, the Russian leader was greeted by Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov.
The summit will focus on international and regional security in the organization’s zone of responsibility. According to the Kremlin press service, "there are plans to discuss key issues related to cooperation among allies as part of the organization and also exchange views on topical regional and international issues."
In addition, with regard to Russia’s future presidency in the organization in 2019-2020, Putin is expected to outline Russia’s priorities in CSTO during the next mid-session period.
The Russian delegation also includes Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, Deputy Russian Security Council Secretary Rashid Nurgaliyev and Russia’s Permanent Representative at the OSCE Andrei Shvedov.
The Collective Security Council will meet on Thursday in the Ala-Archa presidential residence under the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz president. Apart from Putin and Jeenbekov, the meeting will be attended by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon.
At first, the leaders will hold a meeting with restricted attendance. After that, foreign ministers, defense ministers and heads of national security councils will join them for a plenary session.
In total, the summit’s agenda lists 21 questions.
The heads of state would discuss global and regional security issues in the organization’s area of responsibility. The agenda also includes issues related to fortifying the Tajik-Afghan border, cooperation with the UN on the implementation of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and coordination of the CSTO countries’ foreign policy activities. The participants in the meeting will also raise issue of boosting the organization’s defense capability, including in the information security sphere.
Daniyar Sydykov, who is in charge of foreign policy issues at the Kyrgyz presidential administration, said the main political document of the event would be a Collective Security Council statement on increasing international contacts and cooperation to strengthen global and regional security.
The participants of the summit will also exchange opinions on "international and regional security," adopt the organization’s budget for 2020 and sign a series of documents to streamline "financial and organizational activities of the main CSTO bodies."
In the run-up to the summit, a joint meeting of the CSTO Councils of Foreign and Defense Ministers and the CSTO Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils was held in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek on Wednesday, November 27.