Russia, China, Kazakhstan to hold military exercise.

20/11 Tass 184

ALMA ATA (Kazakhstan), November 20 (Itar-Tass) -- One thousand
officers and men from each of the three countries - Russia, China and
Kazakhstan - will take part in a joint anti-terrorist command and staff
military exercise of the Armed Forces of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO), codenamed Peace Mission-2010.

Planes of the front,
military-transport and army aviation of the three countries will also take
part in the military exercise, Lieutenant General Alexander Studenkin,
Assistant Commander-In-Chief of the Ground Troops, head of the Russian
military delegation at the third round of consultations of military
experts from the SCO member countries for preparing the Peace Mission-2010
military exercise, told Itar-Tass before his departure for Moscow.
"A protocol on holding a joint command and staff military exercise of
the SCO member countries, codenamed Peace Mission-2010, was signed in Alma
Ata on Thursday during the consultations. The heads of military
delegations of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan put
their signatures under the document," Studenkin said.
"The military exercise will be of an anti-terrorist character and will
not be linked with any specific region. Russia, Kazakhstan and China will
send 1,000 officers and men each. A plan of the military exercise was
drafted during the consultations, but it has not been approved so far," he
continued.
Studenkin said as well that during the military exercise "planes of
the Russian and Chinese army aviation will be deployed at the Atar
airfield, Kazakhstan, planes of the front and military-transport aviation
of Russia will be deployed at the Russian military base of Qant,
Kyrgyzstan, and Chinese pilots of the front and transport aviation will
fulfill their missions from the airfield, situated on heir territory."
Rear and medical support, the compatibility of communication
facilities and armaments were also discussed during the consultations.
They are all recorded in the protocol. "The troops will be transported to
the area of the military exercise by railway," Studenkin said. "One more
round of consultations will be held shortly before the beginning of the
exercise for discussing for the last time all problems connected with
Peace Mission-2010."
An agreements on holding the Peace Mission-2010 military exercise on
the territory of Kazakhstan was adopted in Bishkek in June 2007, at a
regular meeting of representatives of the SCO countries, and was approved
in a joint communique on the results of a meeting of defence ministers of
the SCO countries in May 2008.
SCO includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
-0-rom/ast