DUSHANBE, February 7, 2011, Asia-Plus -- The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Unified Staff hosted consultations on the Organization’s peacekeeping activities on February 2-4, according to the CSTO Secretariat.

The meeting brought together heads of organization departments of the interested ministries and bodies from the CSTO member nations.

The first deputy chief of the CSTO Unified Staff, Anatoly Nogovitzyn, noted that “an active position of the CSTO member nations on formation of peacekeeping forces will raise the prestige of the Organization in providing reliable system of international security.”

Commenting on the consultations, the CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha noted that they planned to conduct military exercises for the CSTO peacekeeping forces, the CSTO Secretariat said.  “The issue of the venue for the exercises is under consideration.  Most likely, the exercises will be conducted in the Central Asian region,” Bordyuzha said.

The meeting resulted in signing of a protocol that outlines ways of improvement of the CSTO peacekeeping activities.

The CSTO peacekeeping forces will 3,500 military personnel and more than 500 law enforcement officers.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization now groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.