DUSHANBE, August 26, 2009, Asia-Plus — An operational group of Tajik Ministry of Defense (MoD) led by Major-General Rashid Vohidov is participating in the first stage of a joint complex exercise for member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on preparation and use of a joint rapid-reaction that has been launched in Moscow today, according to the MoD press service.
The exercise consists of joint operational-strategic and command-and-staff drills.
The first stage that runs through August 28 includes preparation of proposals for adoption of decisions by the CSTO bodies on deploying and using the rapid-reaction force and military contingents of the armed forces of the CSTO states, providing military-political, military and military-technical assistance to the Organization member nations, the source said.
The second stage of the exercise, entitled “Organization of Use of Military Contingents of the Armed Forces of the CSTO States in the East European Area of the Collective Security,” is scheduled to take place in Belarus from September 19-28. The CSTO Security Council Secretaries, Defense Ministers as well as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be invited to attend the active phase that will be held on September 27-28.
The third stage of the joint complex exercise will be held at the training ground Matybulak in Kazakhstan from October 2-15. The exercise participants will rehearse coordination and interaction on use of the joint rapid-reaction force and military units of the operational command “South” in the area of the collective security. The CSTO Heads of State and Defense Ministers will be invited to attend the active phase that will be held on October 15, the source said.
We will recall that of the CSTO heads of state adopted the decision on setting up the joint rapid-reaction force on February 4 this year.
We will recall that the regional security organization was initially formed in 1992 for a five-year period by the members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) — Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which were joined by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Belarus the following year. A 1994 treaty reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force, and prevented signatories from joining any “other military alliances or other groups of states directed against members states. The CST was then extended for another five-year term in April 1999, and was signed by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. In October 2002, the group was renamed as the CSTO. Uzbekistan joined the CSTO in 2006.
