Russian President qualifies behavior of Belarus as "meat - milk hysteria"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian president Dmitri Medvedev expressed hope that Russia and Uzbekistan will make a decision to participate in joint rapid-reaction force of Collective Security Treaty, in his speech at the joint press conference with the Armenian president in Moscow. According to him Belarus and Uzbekistan could sign the CSTO summit's decisions, after they reevaluate the situation, adding that such a move would be welcomed. According to him, every state has a right to have independent position in respect to membership in any organization.



According to Dmitri Medvedev, "meat-milk hysteria will not damage works aimed at creation of joint rapid-reaction force of Collective Security Treaty for the very Belarus, since the advantages are apparent here," Russian president stressed.



Belarus and Uzbekistan have not signed the agreement on creating a joint rapid-reaction force of Collective Security Treaty. Only five out of seven CSTO member states approved the document at the Moscow summit: Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.



Earlier, Russia banned imports of over 1,000 types of milk products from Belarus, a major item of its budget revenues, saying producers in the ex-Soviet republic had failed to comply with new Russian standards. Official Minsk blames Russia in undermining its economic security, and qualifies Russian's actions as direct economic discrimination. Belarus leadership immediately links their country's economic security with CSTO's collective security.