Uzbekistan to skip first stage of CSTO drill - official.

26/8 Tass 135

MOSCOW, August 26 (Itar-Tass) - Uzbekistan's armed forces are not
taking part in the first stage of the joint exercise envisioning the use
of collective rapid response forces (KSOR), within the Collective Security
Treaty Organization, deputy CSTO secretary general Valery Semerikov told
Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

"The absence of the Uzbek group at the first stage of the joint
complex exercises of the CSTO is the result of the consistent and
principled position of this country with respect to KSOR," Semerikov noted.
"Uzbekistan believes that after adopting a special opinion regarding
KSOR, the republic sees no opportunity to participate in the events
involving collective CSTO forces," he explained reminding that Uzbekistan
had not brought forward any proposals on the participation in KSOR.
The joint staff of the CSTO began on Wednesday the first stage of the
joint complex drill under the theme Preparation and Use of Collective
Rapid Response Forces and military contingents of the CSTO member states
in the interests of ensuring collective security. The concept of the
exercise has been approved by the CSTO Council of Defence Ministers on
June 3.
Reports said a battalion of the 98th division of Russia's airborne
troops will take part in the second stage of the exercise. The third
stage, to be held in the territory of Kazakhstan in October, will involve
units of the 31st airborne assault brigade, Rys and Zubr units of the
Russian Interior Ministry, and the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's
294th centre for special risk operations.
The CSTO countries, except Belarus and Uzbekistan, signed the KSOR
agreement in Moscow on June 14. According to the document, KSOR will
comprise a military contingent of highly mobile units and formations of
CSTO member states, equipped with state-of-the-art armaments and equipment
and having special task force units. They will include special units of
law-enforcement bodies, security services and the bodies for prevention
and elimination of consequences of emergency situations.
The document envisions a plan of actions by CSTO states on forming a
system of collective response to emergency situations in the period until
2012, and a plan to form a collective system of counteracting illegal
migration by citizens of third countries for the same period.
The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Semerikov also said "Belarus is ready for holding the second stage of
the CSTO drill in its territory in full measure."
He noted that all war games in the territory of Belarus had been held
at top organizational level previously.
The second state will run from September 19 to September 28. Its
objective is the "organization of the use of military contingents of CSTO
member states in the East-European region of collective security."
At the second stage, to be led by Belarusian Defence Minister Leonid
Maltese, the CSTO joint staff will specify and report on the procedure of
deploying military contingents, and drill practical issues of providing
military-political and technical assistance to Belarus. The active phase
of the exercise is due on September 28.
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