MOSCOW. Oct 2 (Interfax-AVN) - The peacekeeping force of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will be able to participate in peacekeeping operations within the territory of the former Soviet Union, organization's Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told reporters on Tuesday.
"We are going to establish a peacekeeping force, which will have a similar organization with the rapid response force, already tailored," he said, noting that these force will possibly be dispatched to the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "Peacekeepers can be called in only with the consent of both warring parties. If the consent is in place, they will be authorized to take part in the peacekeeping operations," he said, adding that the plans to set up such a force are a clear sign of the increasing influence of the organization.
According to Bordyuzha, each CSTO member will contribute military contingents to the peacekeeping for, which will be under command of these nations, but will be reassigned under a single command in case the Council of CSTO leaders makes a decision to deploy them with a peacekeeping mission. He emphasized that CSTO peacekeepers will operate only under a UN mandate.
October 4 will see the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the CSTO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe, where document will also be signed on privileges in supplies of military equipment to CSTO members, Bordyuzha said.
He added that the establishment of the peacekeeping force is in line with the organization's plan to transform from a military bloc into an international organization, majoring in security issues. Above all, the organization's missions include curbing drug trafficking from Central Asia and illegal migration, and countering illegal transactions and money laundering.