FORMER SOVIET STATES BOOST DEFENSE CAPABILITY IN JOINT DRILLS

RIA Novosti
15:23 | 22/ 07/ 2008

The joint Rubezh-2008 command-and-staff exercises of the CSTO bloc
of post-Soviet states, which began in Armenia on Tuesday, are aimed
at boosting joint defense capabilities, an Armenian security official
said.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a security
grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.

"The aim of the joint Rubezh-2008 command-and-staff exercise is to
help develop the military component of the CSTO," Artur Bagdasaryan,
secretary of Armenia’s National Security Council, said at the official
opening of the drills.

During the first stage of the exercises, participants will prepare and
conduct a joint operation "to defend the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Armenia."

About 4,000 troops from Armenia, Russia and Tajikistan will take part
in the four-stage military exercise on territory of Armenia and Russia
during the summer and fall.

Other CSTO members will be represented by military staff from
respective defense ministries.

"These exercises allow our countries to strengthen direct ties and
increase the overall level of cooperation," Boris Gryzlov, speaker
of the lower house of the Russian parliament, said.

"We can see that the members of the bloc can meet any threat to
collective security with an appropriate response," he said.

Russia, Belarus and ex-Soviet Central Asian republics have already
developed common air defense and communications networks, and are
continuing to work on other joint defense networks.

"During the spring session [of parliament] we ratified an agreement
on the training of military cadre for CSTO member-countries aimed at
reviving the system of military training for officers [from ex-Soviet
republics] in Russian military institutions," Gryzlov said.