Central Asian nations prepare for “big war”
29 May, 2009, 16:31
Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are to merge their joint troops in Central Asia into one huge military force capable of waging a large-scale war.
The CSTO is a regional security alliance – made up of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – which was formed in 1992. Russia has recently been pushing to give the organization a greater role.
The sides agreed in February on forming a rapid response force with a single command in Moscow to tackle small-scale conflicts and natural disasters wherever they may happen on the territory of the alliance. A treaty on the Collective Rapid Response Forces (CRRF) is to be signed in June.
However, the CSTO has a bigger project in mind, as Kommersant newspaper reports on Friday. The organization may greatly enlarge its military capabilities in Central Asia by forming a strong, joint armed force operating there. It will become the third regional CSTO military force after the European force formed by Russia and Belarus and the Caucasian force formed by Russia and Armenia.
29 May, 2009, 16:31
Russia and its allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are to merge their joint troops in Central Asia into one huge military force capable of waging a large-scale war.
The CSTO is a regional security alliance – made up of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – which was formed in 1992. Russia has recently been pushing to give the organization a greater role.
The sides agreed in February on forming a rapid response force with a single command in Moscow to tackle small-scale conflicts and natural disasters wherever they may happen on the territory of the alliance. A treaty on the Collective Rapid Response Forces (CRRF) is to be signed in June.
However, the CSTO has a bigger project in mind, as Kommersant newspaper reports on Friday. The organization may greatly enlarge its military capabilities in Central Asia by forming a strong, joint armed force operating there. It will become the third regional CSTO military force after the European force formed by Russia and Belarus and the Caucasian force formed by Russia and Armenia.
