The jubilee summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) displayed a high level of coordination between member states in all spheres, from peacekeeping through the delivery of Russian-made military hardware.

The summit’s final meeting involving the delegations of Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Armenia lasted for only 15 minutes.

"All the 21 items on the agenda were coordinated, and no disagreements occurred," said Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha.

The chiefs of state met in camera prior to the final meeting. Their dialog lasted for no more than 30 minutes.

The sides signed a draft agreement on peacekeeping, two military-economic cooperation documents, a draft agreement on the collective security forces’ command, and several documents concerning military-technical cooperation, the joint response to natural and man-made calamities and the containment of illegal migration.

Bordyuzha singled out the document on the CSTO peacekeeping potential. "In this case, we will pool military contingents of member countries. They will be ready to act not only on territories of CSTO member countries but also in any other part of the globe. Another draft agreement concerns military-technical cooperation, the joint production and maintenance of military hardware, and a larger potential of law enforcers and security services," he said.

The declaration on the 15th anniversary of the organization was the key political document of the summit.

CSTO chiefs of state think that the organization has proven its worth. Peacekeeping and joint response to emergency situations are the main spheres of the CSTO activity.

"We, the chiefs of CSTO member states, affirm that the historic choice of our countries in favor of common peacekeeping and security efforts in Eurasia has proven its worth," the declaration runs. "This treaty creates favorable conditions for the development of member states and is an effective and important mechanism of the provision of international security and stability."

"The world has not become safer or more stable over the past 15 years, while tensions in international relations are now escalating more frequently. Terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration and attempts to erode the regime of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are the sources of instability on the regional and global levels," the declaration runs.

The CSTO leaders voiced their serious concern over the Iranian nuclear problem. "We are seriously concerned over tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear program. We call for the strict fulfillment of international commitments and the solution of this problem exclusively with peaceful means," the declaration runs.

The CSTO urged the world to unite in the suppression of the drug threat coming from Afghanistan. "We are particularly concerned over problems in the post-war development of Afghanistan, which still creates a drug threat to the entire international community," the declaration runs. "All the interested states must pool efforts in the containment of the drug threat and hold joint operations against drug smugglers."

"The latent conflicts in the direct proximity to the CSTO zone of responsibility are another concern. They are fraught with the appearance of new division lines, mistrust and suspicion," the declaration runs. In the opinion of CSTO leaders, "suggestions and plans to resolve the frozen conflicts by force outside the existent negotiating formats are also dangerous."

"The CSTO is making a considerable contribution to the response to modern threats and challenges," the declaration runs. "The entire set of political and diplomatic instruments possessed by mankind should be used for an effective solution of these problems."

The chiefs of state called for cooperation between the CSTO, the United Nations and other organizations and supported Kazakhstan’s wish to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009.

"Peacekeeping, the joint response to natural and man-made disasters, the suppression of illegal migration, and the information security of member states are promising areas of the CSTO work," the chiefs of state said. ’That will transform the CSTO into a multifunctional and effective security structure. The CSTO adaptation to new international tendencies and active participation in the formation of the modern international security architecture are of paramount importance."

"Being fully aware of the responsibility for peace, stability and sustainable development of our countries and peoples, we reaffirm the determination to strengthen political cooperation, defense and military-technical cooperation, build up efficiency of the joint response to modern threats, enlarge stability in countries bordering on the CSTO territory, create a system of flexible and timely response to any international crises, and develop related cooperation with interested countries and organizations," the declaration says.

Bordyuzha highlighted peacekeeping agreements and said, "we have also approved the establishment of coordinating councils for emergency situations and illegal migration."

"The presidents lauded the military-economic cooperation at the CSTO. They signed a number of documents concerning the design and manufacturing of certain military products," he said.

CSTO member countries acquire Russian-made armaments and military hardware at Russia’s domestic prices, President Vladimir Putin said.

"We have achieved impressive results at the CSTO, mostly in the military-technical sphere. We approved the final list of documents, which would allow CSTO member countries to acquire Russian-made armaments and military hardware not only for their armies but also for secret services. In fact, the deliveries will be made on Russia’s domestic prices," he said.

Putin asked the CSTO military-technical cooperation question to Bordyuzha in Sochi on September 25. "The trade grew by 2.5 times over the recent year. We still have certain problems, but the cooperation goes on," Bordyuzha replied.

The CSTO will have its next summit in Moscow in 2008, again simultaneously with the summit of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC). Next year Armenia will become the CSTO chairman.