The presidents of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) discussed about two dozen issues, mainly military-technical cooperation, at their summit on Dushanbe on Saturday.

All CSTO heads of state took part in the summit, Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko told Itar-Tass.

In his words, "The impressive package of documents to be submitted to the summit will raise relations of allied cooperation between the CSTO member states to a new level."

"Special attention will be paid to military development, including the deepening of military-technical cooperation, the expansion of the scope of targeted use of military hardware and equipment, and the re-equipment of the Collective Rapid Reaction Force in Central Asia," the aide said.

The leaders will sign documents on the creation of a mechanism for assistance to countries that have come under aggression and for the management of CSTO collective security capabilities.

The heads of state will also consider a package of documents on peacekeeping activities within the CSTO, the creation of a coordination council of the leaders of competent bodies to deal with illegal migration and a coordination council for emergency situations.

The agenda also includes full engagement of Uzbekistan in the work of the organisation, changes to the agreement on the legal status of the CSTO and the terms of deployment of the Combined Headquarters in Russia, as well as budget and financial issues.

The Collective Security Treaty turned 15 and the CSTO Treaty turned five in 2007.

Starting from this session, presidency in the CSTO will pass from Belarus to Kyrgyzstan. The heads of state will determine the place and the time of the next summit.

CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha believes that Belarus’ presidency has been one of the most productive times for the organisation.

"Over the past year we have approved a large number of documents, including on peacekeeping activities, on the creation of new CSTO working bodies – Antiterrorist Committee, coordination committees on emergency situations, and on the suppression of illegal migration – a set of documents on the improvement of the legal basis for military-technical and military-economic cooperation," he said.

"We are preparing seven agreements for the presidents to approve. They concern the creation of a potential for peacekeeping activities, and military-economic cooperation, including the protection of intellectual property rights, joint development, production and repair of military hardware, a joint agreement on preferential terms of special equipment and special means supplies for the law enforcement agencies of the member states, and on exhibiting activities," Bordyuzha said.

He said "proposals have been submitted concerning two protocols: on assistance to countries that have come under aggression and on the creation of a mechanism for coordination in post-crisis rehabilitation."

Bordyuzha mentioned successful joint practical work in the suppression of drug trafficking and illegal migration.

He noted the need to transform the organisation from a military-political into a multi-functional organisation that would deal with all security problems.

The secretary generals of the major international regional organisations - Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will take part in meetings of the constitutive bodies of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) - the Council of Foreign Ministers and Collective Security Council - that will be held in Dushanbe on October 4-6, Bordyuzha said.

"We regard the presence of [OSCE Secretary General] Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and [SCO Secretary General] Bolat Nurgaliyev as the growth of CSTO authority," Bordyuzha stated.

"Taking into account that CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir Rushailo and Secretary General of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) Grigory Rapota will traditionally take part in the events, it can be stated that the leaders of all major international Eurasian security organisations will gather in Dushanbe," Bordyuzha noted.

The CSTO chief noted that the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the CSTO and SCO secretariats would be held in Dushanbe on October 5.

At a meeting of the CSTO defence ministers in Bishkek on September 28 Bordyuzha expressed confidence that the "interaction between the SCO and CSTO should be developed ion many directions."

Touching upon the memorandum on cooperation between the SCO and CSTO secretariats Bordyuzha said that Bolat Nurgaliyev "has already sent an official notification of the readiness to sign this document" that is aimed at developing interaction between the two organisations in countering new challenges and threats, as well as information exchange.