MOSCOW, 14 April (BelTA) – The general staffs of the armed forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states reaffirmed their common stance on threats to military security at a session of the CSTO Military Committee in the congress and expo center Patriot in Moscow Oblast on 14 April, BelTA learned from CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov.
According to the source, participants of the session discussed challenges and threats to military security in the Eastern Europe region, the Caucasus region, and the Central Asia region. The general staffs of the armed forces of the CSTO member states reaffirmed their uniform understanding of the spectrum of threats to military security and the need to coordinate joint actions in order to neutralize the threats.
Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov informed participants of the session about the joint training of command and control bodies and forces of the CSTO collective security system in 2021. He remarked that the main purposes of the joint events include further development of the crisis response system, the improvement of the composition of the CSTO collective forces, the improvement of control of these forces, and comprehensive support for the units being created. In his words, four joint exercises covering the Central Asia collective security region will be held within the framework of the strategic exercise Boyevoye Bratstvo 2021 [Combat Brotherhood]. The special exercise for the CSTO logistics command Eshelon 2021 (Echelon), the special exercise for reconnaissance forces Poisk 2021 [Search], and the Vzaimodeistviye 2021 [Interaction] exercise for the CSTO collective rapid response forces will be held in Tajikistan. The exercise Nerushimoye Bratstvo 2021 [Indestructible Brotherhood] for the CSTO peacekeeping forces will be held in Russia.
Anatoly Sidorov said that during these exercises they intend to practice the sequential deployment of components of the CSTO collective forces starting with a joint operation to localize an armed conflict near the border and ending with the post-conflict resolution in territories of Central Asia region countries.
Members of the CSTO Military Committee heard out a report about the operation of the CSTO Crisis Response Center from Deputy Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, Major-General Sergei Kuprik and a report about a joint unit for radiation, chemical, and biological protection and medical support from First Deputy Chief of the CSTO Joint staff, Lieutenant-General Khasan Kaloyev. For the sake of jointly responding to threats to epidemiological security participants of the session determined directions of future work relating to the creation of the joint unit for radiation, chemical, and biological protection and medical support under the aegis of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Matters concerning the basic educational and instructional support organization for training personnel of the CSTO peacekeeping forces and the basic educational and instructional support organization for training information security specialists for the CSTO member states were discussed. Apart from that, Chief of the General Staff, First Deputy Defense Minister of Tajikistan Emomali Sobirzoda informed members of the CSTO Military Committee about the priority areas of the Collective Security Treaty Organization's work in the military sphere that Tajikistan had come up with for the duration of the country's presidency in the organization in 2021.
Summing up results of the session, Chairman of the CSTO Military Committee, Army General Valery Gerasimov noted that directions of future work on improving the Collective Security Treaty Organization's military component had been determined during the session. Results of the session will help maintain stability in the CSTO member states, he said.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus, Belarusian First Deputy Defense Minister Viktor Gulevich took part in the session.
