RUSSIA, EX-SOVIET ALLIES AGREE ON DRAFT BUDGET FOR COLLECTIVE FORCES
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
30 Aug 05
Moscow, 30 August: Member countries of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization [CSTO, Russia-led military-political alliance] have agreed
on the draft 2006 budgets of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces
[CRDF] command and the standing CSTO staff group stationed in Bishkek
[capital of Kyrgyzstan], Russian ITAR-TASS news agency was told by
the CSTO headquarters.
Military officials from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia
[Kyrgyzstan], Russia and Tajikistan have agreed to set aside R1.547m.
“The sum exceeds the previous year’s budgets by R347,000. The
increase is stipulated by the rising prices and the need for capital
investments in the modernization of the CRDF mobile command centre,”
the CSTO headquarters said.
Russia provides 50 per cent of the CRDF budgets, Kazakhstan 30 per
cent, Tajikistan and Kirgizia allocate 10 per cent each.
“The agreed documents will be submitted to the nearest meeting of the
CSTO’s permanent board of plenipotentiary representatives,” the CSTO
headquarters said.
CRDF comprise two Kazakh, two Kyrgyz and two Tajik battalions, three
Russian battalions and the [Russian] Kant air base outside Bishkek.