COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION (CSTO), SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (SCO) GRANTED OBSERVER STATUS IN UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Unofficial translation from Russian

PRESS RELEASE

The United Nations General Assembly on December 2 unanimously approved resolutions on granting the CSTO and the SC observer status in the General Assembly. We regard these decisions as a recognition of the important role these two organizations play in deepening the processes of integration, cooperation and security in the CIS space and in the vast region from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Over the years of their existence both structures have turned into full-fledged international organizations, within whose competence fall questions holding a priority place on the UN agenda. Their range includes efforts to prevent conflicts and threats to security, the combating of terrorism, and the suppression of drug traffic, illegal arms trade and other forms of cross-border crime. The SCO has good possibilities to foster cooperation in the economy, environment protection, education and health care.

We expect the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolutions to impart political impetus to the further development of reciprocally useful cooperation between the two organizations and the United Nations on a broad spectrum of topical international issues.

December 4, 2004