CIS MEMBER STATES TO HOLD AIR DEFENSE EXERCISE APRIL 25

RIA Novosti
Apr 18 2006

MOSCOW, April 18 (RIA Novosti) – A group of former Soviet republics
is planning air-defense exercises April 25 as part of an integrated
air-defense system, the Russian air force’s press service said Tuesday.

The exercises are part of the joint event program of the Integrated
Air Defense System of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),
approved by the CIS Defense Ministers Council, the press service said.

The exercise will involve up to 70 aircraft and other high-tech
equipment.

The CIS Integrated Air Defense System comprises Armenia, Belarus,
Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, and Ukraine. Georgia recently pulled out of the CIS
Defense Ministers Council, but is still formally part of the
air-defense system.

The integrated system was set up by 10 CIS states on February 10, 1995.