ISTANBUL

The presidents of Russia and Belarus discussed bilateral relations and an upcoming meeting of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in a phone call on Tuesday evening.

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko exchanged views on bilateral ties “with an emphasis on trade and economic cooperation,” according to a Belarusian government statement released on Wednesday.

They also discussed issues related to the CSTO meeting scheduled to be held in Armenia’s capital Yerevan on Nov. 23.

The CSTO is a Russian-led intergovernmental military alliance of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.