MOSCOW, Russia –

On 14-16 September, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Head of the Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Petko Draganov, travelled to Moscow for consultations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and in the Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The SRSG held meetings with State Secretary-Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Special Envoy of the President of Russia for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov. He addressed the session of the Permanent Council of the CSTO and took part in the tripartite UNRCCA-CSTO-OSCE meeting also attended by CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha and Director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center Marcel Pesko.

During the meetings an exchange of views took place on current developments in Central Asia against the backdrop of the situation prevailing in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as on issues related to the strengthening of regional cooperation in countering terrorism, violent extremism, drug-trafficking, other forms of organized crime, promoting solutions of territorial disputes and problems related to the management of trans-boundary water resources in the Aral Sea Basin.

The parties also discussed ways to further strengthen interaction between the UNRCCA, the Russian side, CSTO and other regional organizations to ensure peace and stability in the region of Central Asia.