MOSCOW, May 06. /ITAR-TASS/. Over 300 representatives of more than 40 countries will take part in the third Moscow Security Conference that will be held on May 23-24, head of the main international military co-operation department of the Russian Defense Ministry Sergei Koshelev said on Tuesday. He noted that the number of delegations from countries of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as from the relevant NGOs has increased this year. In addition, the leaders and representatives of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) and League of Arab States (LAS) have confirmed their participation. No documents are planned to be signed at the conference.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu within the conference’s framework will hold a number of bilateral meetings with the foreign colleagues, Koshelev said.

The conference is aimed at discussing international security problems, ways of settling regional crises with emphasis on the military-political analysis. The withdrawal of international coalition forces from Afghanistan, as well as military measures that could “prevent a scenario of turning the country into a terrorist training range” will be among the key issues at the forum. “We hope to discuss the topic of military and military-technical co-operation with the government of Afghanistan,” the official added.

Military experts will also discuss the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa; they will also touch upon projects of the “color revolutions” in former Soviet states.