Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on Friday signed a series of agreements to strengthen military cooperation, according to news reaching here from Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The agreements, which cover peace-keeping operations and technological and economic cooperation in the military field, were signed during a meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the CSTO, which was held in Bishkek on Friday, the Interfax News Agency reported.

If one of the CSTO members suffers an intrusion or faces a threat and asks for help, the organization could offer military technological assistance provided a consensus amongst all its member states, according to the agreements.

The organization’s peace-keeping operations should be approved by presidents of all its member states, and its peace-keeping troops could launch operations outside its own area at the request of the United Nations.

Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary General of the CSTO, and defense ministers from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Armenia, and the vice defense minister of Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.

The CSTO, set up in 1992 to focus on anti-terrorism and counter-narcotics programs, groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.