CSTO exercises commenced in Kyrgyzstan, with Armenia opting out of participation

In the city of Bal?kchi, Kyrgyzstan, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states have commenced the "Interaction-2024" command-staff exercises, as well as the "Search-2024" and "Echelon-2024" special drills, Azernews reports.

Before the start of the exercises, Kyrgyz Defense Minister Bakytbek Bekbolotov, CSTO Deputy Secretary General Talaatbek Masadikov, and CSTO Joint Staff Chief Andrey Serdyukov participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.

As per the training plan, military personnel will conduct drills and joint operations on resolving armed conflicts in the Central Asian region. The exercises will be held in three phases.

The drills involve military personnel from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, along with representatives from the CSTO Secretariat and Joint Staff.

More than 1,500 servicemen from CSTO member states are participating in the exercises, which also include over 200 pieces of military equipment and around 10 aviation units.

It is noteworthy that although Armenia is a CSTO member, it has opted out of participating in these drills.