RUSSIA, KAZAKHSTAN TO CONDUCT JOINT WAR GAMES ON OCT. 3

RIA Novosti
19:12 | 30/ 09/ 2008

ASTANA, September 30 (RIA Novosti) – Troops from Russia and Kazakhstan
will conduct joint maneuvers near the Kazakh city of Almaty on October
3, the Central Asian country’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The drills, named Aldaspan-2008, will include command-and-staff
exercises and tactical maneuvers. They will engage Kazakh staff
officers and airmobile troops, as well as Russian Air Force officers
and aircraft, and a special-purpose group of the General Staff.

The two countries, both members of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), are set to conduct joint naval anti-terrorism
exercises in the Caspian Sea in 2009.

The CSTO is a security grouping also comprising Armenia, Belarus,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Russia has recently been strengthening military ties with Eurasian
allies amid growing tensions over NATO expansion and U.S. missile
shield plans for Central Europe.