DUSHANBE, April 5, 2012, Asia-Plus -- Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi departed for Astana, Kazakhstan today morning to attend the meetings of the councils of foreign ministers of the CIS and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that are taking place there tomorrow.

The Tajik MFA information department reports the CIS foreign ministers plan to discuss a wide range of international and regional problems, including the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the state of affairs in Syria and Afghanistan, topical issues of multilateral cooperation within the framework of CIS and CSTO.

The session is also expected to consider a block of important documents regarding the development of collective interaction in the sphere of security and defense, settlement of crisis situations at external borders, as well as financial intelligence within the CIS area.

The meeting participants will also consider a draft decision of the CIS heads of state on declaring 2013 the Year of Ecological Culture and Environmental Protection within the CIS area.

The CSTO foreign ministers’ session will consider issues of further consolidation and enhancement of efficiency of the Organization in the context of fulfilling the decision of the December (2011) session of the CSTO Collective Security Council.  An intensive interchange of opinions on the issue of foreign policy coordination of the member states of CSTO, prospects of cooperation with the UN in the sphere of peace-building will take place, the source said.