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Security summit kicks off in Yerevan

Xinhua, October 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Top security summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states began in the Armenian capital on Friday, with the presidents of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and the prime minister of Kazakhstan, according to Armenpress.

During his opening remarks at the start of the summit at the presidential palace in downtown Yerevan, Armenian President Sargsyan said that "a wide range of issues will be discussed today" and hoped that the constructive atmosphere of the summit will help make new effective decisions to boost the development of the CSTO.

Kazakhstan'0s long-time leader Nursultan Nazarbayev cancelled his participation in the summit along with his visit to Azerbaijan due to a cold two days prior to the event. There are many speculations that the Kazakh leader yet again snubbed the Armenian authorities to show his support for Azerbaijan in its long standoff with Armenia over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In April, shortly after the military tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated to a 4-day massive military clashes, Kazakhstan had insisted the meeting of prime ministers of the Eurasian Economic Union be moved from Yerevan to Moscow, which was viewed by many in Armenia as Kazakhstan' s expression of support for fellow Turkic speaking Azerbaijan.

During the CSTO summit in Yerevan, Armenia will pass the presidency of the organization over to Belarus. The Collective Security Treaty emerged in 1992 shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It currently has six permanent members with Serbia and Afghanistan engaged as observers. Enditem.