First Deputy of Kazakh Foreign Minister takes part in session of CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers

ASTANA. April 18. KAZINFORM A regular session of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers has been held in Yerevan. First Deputy of the Kazakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Nurtai Abykayev took part in it; Kazinform refers to the Kazakh MFA?s press service.

The participants discussed different aspects of cooperation of the CSTO member-states. There was emphasized a significance of active usage of opportunities of cooperation with international organizations in order to counteract potential threats and real security challenges. The diplomats appraised the results of a ministerial meeting within the framework of the CSTO held on the sidelines of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Helsinki in December, 2008, and expressed a plan to carry out informal meetings within the framework of different international forums for discussion of problems of ensuring international security. The main directions of interaction development of the CSTO Secretariat with the OSCE executive structures are approved. An agreement on closer coordination of positions of the CSTO member-states within the framework of the OSCE was reached. In the light of the Kazakh participation in the OSCE Troika and its upcoming chairmanship in this organization in 2010, the sides expressed readiness to promote joint interests and active participation in the events initiated by our country. The foreign ministers discussed the state and prospects of the Organization?s activity on the Afghan direction. Joint approaches elaborated during the discussion of this issue are reflected in a draft document on stabilization interaction in Afghanistan. Following the results of the session decisions, which determinate main directions of the CSTO interaction with international organizations in the security sphere, in particular with the UN and OSCE, were taken.