Belarus to host three CSTO military drills in 2023

MINSK, 16 January (BelTA) – Belarus will host three military exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in 2023, First Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Pavel Muraveiko said on the air of the STV TV channel, BelTA informs.

“This year we have the honor to lead the organization and preside in it. This is a significant event as the chairmanship will be held under the motto “From solidarity and cooperation to peace and security”. Given the fact that 2023 was declared by the president of Belarus the Year of Peace and Creation, it creates clear guidelines for our domestic and foreign policy. Therefore, this decision is important for us, so is the role that is assigned to our country in the organization,” Pavel Muraveiko said. “We have identified a number of priorities for ourselves. These priorities include maintaining peace and calm, localizing various crisis situations and preventing destabilization of the situation in the area of responsibility of the organization. The second important priority is the improvement of the CSTO collective forces. This is an important issue, as today we need to build up the military potential of the organization and carry out joint activities,” Pavel Muraveiko said.

Another area of work is to increase the prestige of the organization, build contacts with other international organizations and third countries, Pavel Muraveiko said. “All this is being done to ensure stability, to prevent emerging threats and to respond to existing risks and challenges. These priorities have certain highlights. In particular, there are plans to arrange an international conference on Eurasian security in Minsk, to hold a fairly broad dialogue at the level of foreign ministers, defense ministers, secretaries of the Security Council along the lines of the CSTO - the People's Republic of China,” he added. “As far as the military partnership is concerned, three out of the four exercises that the organization conducts annually, are planned to be held on the territory of our country. This is the Interaction exercise of the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces, the Search exercise of intelligence units and the Echelon exercise of logistics support forces. They all will take place on the territory of our country in September. The information and analytical component will receive a priority, because who owns the information, owns the world. We highly prioritize this area of work, and this is also one of the priorities our chairmanship,” Pavel Muraveiko said.