Russian Security Council Secretary En Route To Dushanbe For Consultations

Vladimir Rushailo, Russian Security Council Secretary, left for Dushanbe on Monday to chair an extraordinary meeting of the committee of Security Council Secretaries of the Collective Security Treaty members. Before his departure, Rushailo noted that the meeting is held according to a preliminary agreement reached by the heads of members of the Collective Security Treaty, as well as a number of other concerned CIS countries. Replying to journalists' questions about the US strikes at Afghanistan, Vladimir Rushailo said: "We have all expected that to happen," and added that "most of the countries worldwide support the action." Vladimir Rushailo said that the cooperation between Russia and NATO and CIS countries consists in holding consultations, providing information, as well as opening air corridors for humanitarian cargoes and, if necessary, carrying out rescue operations. As for the rapid deployment forces of CIS countries in the Central Asian region, Vladimir Rushailo noted that "they have long been put on silent alert." These issues will be discussed in more detail at the meeting of the Security Council secretaries in Dushanbe.