ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: RUBEZH 2008 FIRST LARGE-SCALE JOINT MILITARY EXERCISES
ARKA
July 23
On Tuesday, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, speaking at the
opening of Rubezh 2008 military exercises, said that these exercises
are the first large-scale joint maneuvers held by Collective Security
Treaty Organization.
He said that besides Armenian and Russian troops, Central Asian armies
will take part in the maneuvers.
"Accumulated experience was taken into account in organization of
the exercises", Ohanyn said.
He thinks the maneuvers will confirm the reasonability of involving
National Security Council’s operational groups and state-governing
bodies of Armenia in the process.
The first stage of the exercises was launched on Tuesday.
Rubezh 2008 four-stage joint military exercises will be held in Russia
and Armenia in summer-fall 2008. About 4,000 servicemen from Armenia,
Russia and Tajikistan will participate in the manoeuvres.
Armoured troops, conventional artillery, army artillery groups, ground
attack aircrafts and engineer troops will participate in the exercises.
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and
Tajikistan are CSTO members.