CSTO calls for setting up broad anti-terrorism coalition - Armenian leader

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc, has called for setting up a broad coalition to fight against terrorism, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said on Monday at the summit in the Kremlin. "The CSTO states call for forming a broad coalition based on the provisions of the UN Charter, the norms and principles of the international law," said the leader of Armenia, which currently holds the presidency in the organization. The CSTO member-states believe that the fight against terrorism cannot be carried out without "curbing the sources of its financing and blocking the channels of its financial support." Sargsyan said the meeting of the CSTO leaders on Monday was fruitful. The sides confirmed readiness to strengthen the force potential with the goal of "countering the new challenges and threats efficiently." The Armenian leader said the fight against international terrorism is "the most important issue today." The CSTO member-states consider fighting against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization as top priority and note growing security threats in Central Asia, a joint statement reads. The summit also discussed the implementation of decisions to be adopted at the upcoming meeting of the CSTO in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe and other issues, including the priorities proposed by Armenia. The CSTO is a regional security group comprising six post-Soviet countries - Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia. Read more