About 12,000 servicemen will participate in operational-strategic exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization "Combat Brotherhood-2017". As the head of the CSTO Joint Staff Anatoly Sidorov said, active phase of the exercises will begin on October 3 with direct participate of the CSTO's managment. "We will kick off these events with special tactic exercises 'Search-2017'. We will conduct them in the Republic of Armenia. Peacekeeping forces drills will be held in Kazakhstan from October 16 to October 20 as part of 'Unbreakable Brotherhood' exercises," Sidorov said.
According to him, it is also planned to conduct exercises of the Collective Forces on the territory of five polygons of Tajikistan in November. "In total, arout 12,000 soldiers, arout 1,500 pieces of military and special equipment and arout 90 aircraft will be involved in joint operational and combat training events that will end on November 20. The ongoing joint military training activities fully comply with international norms and are not directed against other countries," he said.
This year the organization will celebrate its 25th anniversery. The Collective Security Treaty was signed in 1992.
Since the establishment of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, multifunctional structures that ensure collective security of its member states have been created. The CSTO has become an integral part of the system of regional organizations that work in the field of security.
The development of events in the world, including in the regions close to the CSTO member states, transformation of international relations and the appearance of cross-border challenges and threats, made the adoption of the CSTO Collective Security Strategy until 2025 necessary.
The dynamic and forecast of development of the military-political situation in the world and regions located in close proximity to the CSTO countries' responsibility zone are determined by factors that may have a negative impact on the collective security system:
- danger of escalation of existing and emergence of new international and internal conflicts;
- achievement of political and economic goals through force, including economic and information pressure; interference in the internal affairs of countries;
- use of technologies of the so-called "color revolutions" and "hybrid wars";
- violation of international agreements, as well as non-compliance with previously signed treaties in the field of prohibition, limitation and reduction of armaments;
- desire to arbitrarily interpret norms and principles of international law, pursue a policy of double standards, use of force or threat of use of force in international relations;
- involvment of states and unions in resolution of existing conflicts against universally recognized norms and principles of international law and outside the framework of settlement formats, previously agreed on by international community;
- increase of existing or deployment of new military groups and creation of military infrastructure on the territories adjacent to the CSTO responsibility area; statements on resolution of interstate issues through military force;
- strengthening of interethnic and interconfessional intolerance, xenophobia;
- growth of threats of international terrorism and extremism, insufficient level of practical international cooperation in the fight against these threats;
- illicit traffic of drugs and psychotropic substances, their analogs and precursors.
