Signatories To Collective Security Treaty Hold Consultations In Moscow

The security of countries participating in the Collective Security Treaty has been fully ensured largely to measures taken in keeping with the treaty, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Council, Valery Nikolayenko, said on Monday. He said the Taliban forces failed to stage any provocations against the southern borders of the Commonwealth of Independent States, in particular Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Russia's 201st frontier division, stationed in Tajikistan, and the Collective Rapid Deployment Force, deployed in the area by that time, played a great role in preventing Taliban attacks, Nikolayenko said. He took part in the first round of Moscow consultations of the Collective Security Treaty signatories. The consultations involved deputy ministers of defence and foreign affairs and Security Council secretaries. The members of the Collective Security Council described the anti-terrorist measures taken by the treaty signatories as successful. According to Nikolayenko, the consultations pointed out that the participating countries' present-day day concern is "active participation in the political settlement in Afghanistan and the formation of a coalition government in that country, which would be friendly towards the CIS countries and the international community."