CSTO to hold military exercise in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 2-6 August

Interfax-AVN military news agency web site
9 Jul 04

MOSCOW

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is going to hold
the Rubezh-2004 exercise in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan 2-6 August, an
official of the CSTO’s press service told Interfax-Military News
Agency Friday 9 July .

“The exercise will be participated in by detachments of the armed
forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, as well as
by operative groups of their General Staffs, representatives of
charter and working bodies of the organization, plus observers of the
CIS member-states and states parties to the Shanghai Treaty,” he said.

According to him, the exercise is aimed to improve coordination of
control bodies in the course of an operation to stabilize the
situation in Central Asian collective security zone. Moreover, there
are plans to exercise control over the CSTO parties’ forces in
combating international terrorism.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization includes six states,
namely Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and
Tajikistan.

The Collective Rapid Deployment Force (CRDF) was formed in Central
Asia 25 May 2001, following a decision of leaders of Russia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, who were parties to the
Collective Security Treaty at that time. As of now, the CRDF
comprises nine battalions with a total strength of 5,500 people. A
Russian AFB in Bishkek has been supporting the CRDF since October
2003.