MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries will converge in Moscow on Thursday to address regional and global security issues.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will preside over the ministerial meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary posted on its website on Wednesday.
"The foreign ministers will convene in a narrow format to discuss the situation in the CSTO zone of responsibility and adjoining areas. The agenda of the plenary meeting includes pressing regional and global security issues, foreign policy coordination between CSTO member states and attainment of the priorities set by the Russian presidency of this organization," the ministry reported.
"Seeking to strengthen the CSTO coordination mechanisms, [the ministers] will approve a plan of consultations between CSTO officials on foreign policy, security and defense matters in the second half of 2014 - first half of 2015 and the updated list of themes of joint statements to be released in 2014. The ministers will approve a number of draft resolutions of the Collective Security Council pertaining to various areas of the organization's activity," the ministry said.
"The meeting participants will issue a statement on Afghanistan ahead of the presidential election in that country," it added.
"We view the upcoming meeting as an important step aimed at further development of allied interaction in the CSTO," the ministry said.