A joint military exercise for military personnel of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, dubbed Comonwealth-2022, was launched at the Termez training ground in Uzbekistan yesterday.
The press center of the Ministry of Defense of Uzbekistan says Tajik military delegation arrived in Termez yesterday and they were placed in one of military units of the Termez garrison. The sides them studied the plan of joint actions in accordance with the concept of the exercise.
Today, the Commander of the South-Western Special Military District Major-General Zaynobiddin Iminov and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Tajikistan, Major-General Sharof Egamzod reportedly spoke at the opening ceremony and expressed confidence that the mutual friendly training will further strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
After the official opening ceremony, military personnel of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan organized demonstration exercises: demonstrated techniques and methods of close combat; methods of evacuation of the wounded; and repelling the attack of a conditional enemy.
Military cooperation between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was launched following the very first visit of the Uzbek Minister of Defense to Dushanbe in October 2017. In March 2018, three defense related agreements were signed: on transit cooperation of military, special cargo and military contingents through the territories of both parties, on cooperation in the field of civil defense and the prevention and elimination of emergency situations, and on military cooperation between the defense ministries.
In 2018, Tajikistan hosted the first military exercise with Uzbekistan in August, in which the border troops of both counties fought back notional Islamists entering from Afghanistan. Within a month of the first exercise, Tajikistan hosted a larger anti-terrorism exercise in September 2018. One hundred army officers from Uzbekistan and 500 army officers from Tajikistan reportedly participated.
In 2019, Uzbekistan hosted two anti-terrorism exercises with Tajikistan. The first took place in April with military reconnaissance troops of both countries and in September, between military troops.
On March 11-14, 2020, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan conducted their third annual military exercises. The countries have taken turns hosting the exercise and in 2020, Tajikistan hosted the five-day event. An elite company of Uzbek special forces and three companies of Tajik special forces participated. The exercise scenario involved militants from a neighboring country crossing into Tajikistan, seizing hostages, and government troops responding with air attacks.
In August 2021, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia conducted their joint military drills near the Tajik-Afghan border in Tajikistan’s Khatlon province.
