DUSHANBE, August 30, Asia-Plus 2010, Asia-Plus — A special company-strong subunit of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) that is part of mobile subunits of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will represent Tajikistan in a multinational anti-terror drill that will take place in Kazakhstan from September 9 to 25 under of the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Asia-Plus has learned from the source at a MoD.
The SCO command-and-staff drill, dubbed Peace Mission 2010, aims to demonstrate SCO member nations’ determination and capacity to combat terrorism and extremism, showcase their mutual trust and cooperation, and the shared wish to protect regional peace and stability, the source said.
According to him, Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev is also expected to attend the drill that will involve more than 5,000 troops from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
In the meantime, China’s Xinhua reported on August 26 that the drill will be the seventh of its kind. The chiefs of staff of the armed forces of the participating countries will announce the launch of the drill in Almaty in Kazakhstan, and defense ministers from the SCO member countries will observe the military exercises.
The drill was staged in accordance with the Charter of the SCO and the SCO”s fundamental purpose to maintain and strengthen regional peace, security and stability, Wang Haiyun, senior advisor of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies, told Xinhua Thursday. It was also planned in consideration of an increasingly complicated security situation in the regions around the SCO members, Wang said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
