MOSCOW, February 12. /TASS/. This year, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will hold exercises in Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Belarus, the chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Andrey Serdyukov, announced at a news briefing.
According to him, as many as 60 joint and operational training events, including eight command and staff and specialized exercises will be held. In September, Kazakhstan will host the Rubezh joint exercise with the Central Asian region’s Collective Rapid Deployment Forces, in September-October, the Interaction command and staff exercise involving the Collective Rapid Deployment Force and specialized drills will take place in Russia. Also, two rounds of specialized military exercises will be held Tajikistan in October, and Belarus will host command and staff drills with peacekeeping forces and the Barrier specialized exercise, he specified.
A strategic command and staff exercise will practice the use of all components of the Collective Force participating in joint drills, Serdyukov added. "Representatives of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Center and Border Troops Commanders Council (CBTC) Coordination Service as well as the Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly are expected to take part as observers. Documents to be revised during the strategic training will underpin the layout for upcoming joint exercises," he concluded.