Kyrgyzstan to host military exercises of CSTO Collective Forces

Military exercises of the Collective Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will be held in Kyrgyzstan, reports 24kg.

According to the Acting Secretary General of CSTO, Valery Semirikov, an agreement on holding joint exercises in the territories of the CSTO member states was reached in 2018. It is planned to conduct six exercises: three — in Russia, two — in Tajikistan and one — in Kyrgyzstan.

The sides confirmed that these exercises were very important and cooperation within the CSTO was of great importance for resolving the conflict in Afghanistan as a hotbed of instability and tension in the Central Asian region.

The parties also discussed events planned for 2019, noting that in the fall Kazakhstan will host a forum to discuss the socio-political situation in the member countries. They stressed that the budget of the PA of CSTO was 72 percent executed. A 100% contribution was made by Kazakhstan earlier this year. During the discussion of contributions, it was indicated that their amounts are likely to be increased, and the rate will be adjusted taking inflation into account. The increase in the contribution is due to an increase in salaries for the staff of PA CSTO Secretariat.

"The Qazaq Times"