From October 10-12 the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tadjikistan met in Astana, Kazakhstan to negotiate and sign a document establishing the Eurasian Economic Union. This newly formed international organization is intended to solve the problems of external trade and customs policies by establishing common trade laws on goods and services. The new payment system and new single order of currency control and regulation is hoped to be more effective than its Customs Union predecessor which did not lead to the successful and effective economic integration of its members.

After the Eurasian Economic Union signing, the presidents traveled to a session in Bishkek to discuss issues on the provision and ensuring of security in the Central Asian region and accelerating the role of an Agreement on Collective Security on international arena. Presidents of Belarus and Russia stated that Belarus and Russian soldiers would not be deployed to fight and defend the stability in the borders of Central Asian countries. Belarus will help Kyrgyzstan only with providing necessary military equipment and humanitarian aid, but not with soldiers. That is why in response, all presidents agreed that the priority should be given to the establishment of regional collective security systems that will provide military security to certain regions. The plan is to accelerate the power of Central Asian countries' own military forces to make them better able to oppose terrorist movements and defend their countries' borders themselves was accepted by all presidents.

The status of military forces was defined at the end of the session. The military forces of certain country members will be put under collective training and will defend the territorial unity of certain countries if necessary. Special plan on 2001-2005 on establishing collective security systems through out the CIS region was adopted at the end of the session in Bishkek. Analytical military experts see the outcomes of the session as the creation of three main directions in establishment of collective security systems: Russia and Belarus in the East; Armenia in Trans- Caucasus; and Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan in the South.

In this situation the geopolitical role of Kyrgyzstan has grown greatly. Kyrgyzstan has become a key country on the way of Uzbek mujahheds to Ferghana valley. Thus, Kyrgystan has become a shield country for Uzbekistan from guerilla groups of Juma Namangani who wants to overthrow the existing government of Uzbekistan. Uyghur militants also see Kyrgyzstan as a transit country to the autonomous region of Xinjiang. Afghanistan drug mafia finds Kyrgyzstan very attractive shifting base so to speak for huge amounts of narcotics going directly to Russia, Eastern Europe and from there to the rest of the world. Ensuring military security on the Kyrgyzstan borders, maintaining an internal stability in the country itself and its borders, which also means providing the stability to the whole Central Asian and Eurasian regions, were the main issues of discussion during the Bishkek session.

Maria Utyaganova, student in the International Relations Department, American University-Kyrgyzstan.