Thursday, November 28 2019 16:09

ArmInfo.The foreign ministers of the member countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) noted the high potential of the Russian concept  of collective security in the Persian Gulf. This is stated in a joint  statement by the CSTO Foreign Ministers, the text of which was posted  on Wednesday on the website of the Russian diplomatic service, TASS  reports.

The foreign ministers expressed concern over the current situation in  the Persian Gulf region, which is fraught with <a large-scale  military clash with the most negative consequences for all countries  involved, regional and international security>. "Ministers note the  significant positive potential of the Russian Concept of collective  security in the Persian Gulf," the statement said. "They urge all  parties to exercise restraint and take steps to reduce tension and  restore confidence."

On July 23, the Russian Foreign Ministry presented the Concept of  Collective Security in the Persian Gulf.  It provides for the  formation of an initiative group to prepare an international  conference on security and cooperation in the Persian Gulf, which  will subsequently lead to the creation of an organization for  security and cooperation in the region. In addition, Moscow took the  initiative to create demilitarized zones in the region and proposed  to abandon the permanent deployment of groups of extra-regional  states and establish hot lines between the military.

The statement said that the foreign ministers of the CSTO member  countries are concerned about the remaining hotbeds of tension in  Syria.

According to the statement, <Ministers express concern over the  persistence of hotbeds of tension in Syria and continue to closely  monitor the development of the situation. They note that the  achievement of long- term stability in the Syrian Arab Republic,  including in the north-east of the country, is possible only on the  basis of respect and full restoration of the sovereignty, territorial  integrity of the state and ensuring the security of the civilian  population representing the various ethnic and religious communities  of the country>.

The Foreign Ministers also pointed out the need to continue the fight  against terrorism in order to completely eliminate the Islamic State,  Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups banned in Russia. Ministers welcomed  the launch of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, noting that this  "is an important step in advancing the political process, led and  carried out by the Syrians themselves with the assistance of the UN".

In addition, the CSTO countries support the efforts to maintain the  Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear  program and will provide them with effective assistance.  <The  ministers advocate further systematic implementation of it on the  basis of the commitment of all parties involved to their commitments  and subject to a carefully balanced balance of interests that  underlie comprehensive agreements, the statement says. - They support  efforts aimed at de-escalation around the JCPOA and express their  firm intention to render them effective assistance in accordance with  UN Security Council resolution 2231>.

On November 6, Iran began to pump gas into centrifuges at a facility  in Fordo, which in fact means the beginning of the fourth stage of  reducing the obligations undertaken by it in the framework of the  nuclear deal. The future of the JCPOA has been called into question  after the United States unilaterally quit it on May 8, 2018 and  Washington imposed sanctions against Tehran in the field of oil  exports. According to the Iranian side, the rest of the participants,  primarily Europeans, do not fully adhere to their obligations in the  economic part of the agreement, so the deal in its current form does  not make sense.  According to the press service of the Kyrgyz Foreign  Ministry, the CSTO member countries are considering the possibility  of helping to resolve conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa  ..  <The meeting approved the draft statement of the Collective  Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on  improving international cooperation and cooperation in order to  strengthen global and regional security. A joint statement was made  by the foreign ministers of the CSTO member states on efforts to  stabilize the situation in the Middle East and North Africa>, the  report said.  According to the press service, the heads of the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs, defense departments and secretaries of  the CSTO's security councils during a meeting in the capital of  Kyrgyzstan approved draft decisions on <deepening the political,  military and military-economic cooperation of member states,  improving the legal framework and financial and economic support the  organization's activities submitted for consideration by the CSTO  Collective Security Council session on November 28, 2019>.  <The  Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov  informed the meeting participants about the priority areas of the  RF's activities for the period of the organization's chairmanship,  "the report says. At the end, the ceremony of transferring the wands  of the chairmanship to the Ministerial Council, the CMO and the  Collective Security Treaty Organization of the Collective Security  Treaty Organization from the Kyrgyz Republic of the Russian  Federation, the press service said. According to her, the meeting  participants also <exchanged views on the military-political  situation in the CSTO collective security regions>.

The next session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective  Security Treaty Organization will be held on November 28 in Bishkek  with the participation of the Presidents of Russia, Belarus,  Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, as well as the Prime Minister of  Armenia. The agenda of the meeting includes more than two dozen  issues, including those related to ensuring regional and  international security.