Wednesday, November 27 2019 19:55

ArmInfo. Armenian Foreign  Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who is on a working visit to Bishkek, took part in a joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the  Council of Defense Ministers and the Committee of Secretaries of  Security Councils of the Collective Security Treaty Organization  (CSTO) on November 27.

As the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the  Republic of Armenia reports, the agenda of the meeting included  issues of interaction between member states within the CSTO and  international platforms, coordination of foreign policy, and  countering threats to international and regional security. The  situation in Syria was touched upon in detail.

Welcoming the participants, Minister Mnatsakanyan thanked his Kyrgyz  counterpart for the successful chairmanship of the CSTO and the  organization of the high-level meeting, as well as expressed  Armenia's support for the priorities of the upcoming Russian  chairmanship in the organization. "Armenia will continue its active  participation in the further improvement and strengthening of the  CSTO, as well as in efforts aimed at increasing the international  credibility of the CSTO," the Armenian Foreign Minister said.

Touching upon the Armenian side's vision of cooperation among member  states within the framework of the structure, Mnatsakanyan emphasized  the development of allied cooperation on international platforms on  issues related to the coordination of foreign policy.

Presenting the latest developments in the process of peaceful  settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan  emphasized that given the conditions conducive to peace and the  preparation of peoples for peace, the need to abandon militaristic  and hateful rhetoric, an uncontrolled arms race, and take additional  measures to reduce tension on the Line of Contact remains more than  urgent. The head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry emphasized the  importance of maintaining the approaches agreed on between the CSTO  member states on the Karabakh issue on all international platforms.

The Foreign Minister also touched on the situation created by the  Turkish invasion of northeastern Syria, expressing particular concern  about the situation of national and religious minorities.  Mnatsakanyan stressed that Armenia will continue to provide  humanitarian assistance to the friendly Syrian people for the benefit  of regional peace and security. "It should be noted that in the joint  statement of the Foreign Ministers of the CSTO member states" On the  efforts of the ministers to stabilize the situation in the Middle  East and North Africa, "the ministers referred to the humanitarian  mission of Armenia in Syria, emphasizing its importance," the Foreign  Ministry said.

The meeting participants also approved decisions on amendments to the  CSTO regulatory legal acts, amendments to the CSTO CSC Rules of  Procedure and the CSTO bodies' rules of procedure.