UZBEKISTAN SUSPENDS ITS PARTICIPATION IN RUSSIA DOMINATED SECURITY PACT

CSTO's spokesman, Vladimir Zainetdinov told the Russian news agency RIA Novosti that a note was received from Uzbekistan declaring the suspension of its involvement in the seven-nation alliance consisting of Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Uzbek officials did not make any comments.

Russia established the CSTO as an alternative to NATO, but the pact has weakened by differences among its members.

Meanwhile, head of Tajikistan's parliamentary defense committee Amirkul Azimov criticized Uzbekistan's move.

Azimov told RIA Novosti that "Uzbekistan's decision doesn't help collective security in the region".

Nikolai Fedoryak, a deputy chief of the defense and security committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, said that Uzbekistan may regret its decision after U.S. and NATO forces leave Afghanistan as planned by the end of 2014.

"It's regrettable that Uzbekistan made that move without a thorough analysis of its consequences," he said.