From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Oct 27 2000 - 10:19:14 EDT
CIS DEFENSE MINISTERS MEET IN TAJIKISTAN
The defense ministers of all CIS states except Georgia, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan and Moldova met in Dushanbe on 26 October to
discuss future military cooperation and the planned joint CIS
air defense system, ITAR-TASS reported. They agreed to end
the mandate of the CIS peacekeeping force in Tajikistan, but
not to withdraw those predominantly Russian troops from that
country. They also discussed candidates to succeed
Lieutenant-General Sergei Korobko as commander of the CIS
peacekeeping force deployed on the Georgian-Abkhaz border,
according to Caucasus Press. Addressing the session, Safar
Abiev of Azerbaijan said Armenian-Russian military
cooperation poses "a real threat" to stability in the South
Caucasus, Interfax reported. He noted that Russia has taken
no measures in response to earlier complaints by Baku about
Russian arms supplies to Armenia. LF
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