MOSCOW, 5 June (BelTA) – The timing of exercises to be held within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) may be adjusted depending on the COVID-19 epidemic situation, BelTA learned from the press service of the CSTO Joint Staff after the first staff meeting held to discuss the organization of joint exercises with the CSTO forces (collective forces) this year. The staff meeting took place in the CSTO Crisis Response Center on 3-5 June as a videoconference.
The sides agreed that the timing of the exercises and preparations for the exercises may be adjusted depending on the epidemic situation in the CSTO member states.
The staff meeting discussed the basic concepts of the exercises, reconciled the main aspects of their organization, logistics support, and the preliminary composition of the forces that will take part in it. The procedure to allow heads of ministries and government agencies of the CSTO member states, representatives of international organizations, observers, and representatives of non-CSTO countries to participate in and attend the exercise was also discussed.
Joint exercises of the CSTO forces (collective forces) are supposed to take place in all the CSTO collective security regions in 2020. The Vzaimodeistviye 2020 [Interaction] exercise for the CSTO rapid response forces will be held to practice fighting against illegal armed bands in the Caucasian collective security region. To practice support for the deployment of the CSTO rapid response forces, special exercises will be held for reconnaissance units (Poisk 2020) and for material and technical support units (Eshelon 2020).
The Rubezh 2020 exercise will be held for the collective rapid deployment forces in the Central Asia collective security region. The exercise will practice the deployment of the CSTO collective security assets in order to counteract international terrorist organizations.
The command post exercise Nerushimoye Bratstvo 2020 [Unbreakable Brotherhood] will take place in the Eastern Europe collective security region to practice the deployment of CSTO peacemaking forces for the sake of maintaining international peace and security.
The staff meeting was chaired by Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov. Representatives of the defense ministries of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan took part in the videoconference meeting as well as representatives of the CSTO Joint Staff, the CSTO Secretariat, special operations forces, the Internal Affairs Ministry and the Emergencies Ministry of Russia. Defense attaches of the Serbian embassy, representatives of the CIS Anti-Terrorism Center, and the Coordinating Service of the CIS Border Guard Commanders Council took part in the meeting as well.
