At the Losvido training range in the Republic of Belarus, peacekeeping units practiced tactical procedures at a stationary checkpoint as part of the process of coordinating units and practicing joint actions during the command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026”.
Today, at the Starodorozhsky training range in the Republic of Belarus, servicemen of the CSTO joint NBC protection and medical support formation began practical operations as part of the “Barrier-2026” special exercise.
Today, at the Losvido training range in Belarus, the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces Commander was presented with a mandate to conduct a peacekeeping operation at the command post as part of the “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026” command-and-staff exercise.
Servicemen of the Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District (CMD) have arrived in the Republic of Belarus to take part in the command-and-staff exercise with the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces “Indestructible Brotherhood-2026” and the special exercise with the CSTO joint NBC protection and medical support formation “Barrier-2026”.
RIA NOVOSTI news agency: The CSTO Secretary General commented on US withdrawal from the Treaty on Open Skies
03.06.2020
© Sputnik / Viktor Tolochko
Stanislav Zas. Archival photo
MOSCOW, June 3 - RIA Novosti news agency. The Secretary General of the military-political bloc Stanislav Zas told RIA Novosti news agency that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) expected that the United States would revise its decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies within six months, this step by Washington is galling and would seriously damage the system of control over military activities.
“The US decision to withdraw from the Treaty on Open Skies is galling and will certainly cause serious damage not only to the system of control over military activities, but to the entire international security system as a whole. In our estimation, this step undermines trust between states and significantly reduces the level of transparency on the European continent, " Zas said.
According to him, the Treaty provides transparency and predictability in the field of arms control.
"We hope that over the remaining six months, the leadership of the United States will be able to reconsider its decision, and thereby make a significant contribution to strengthening European and global security and stability," he stressed.
US President Donald Trump previously announced his country's withdrawal from the Treaty, accusing Russia of violating the Treaty, which allows verification of military movements and arms limitation measures of the countries that signed it. Russia has denied US allegations of the Treaty violation.
The Treaty on Open Skies was signed in 1992 and has become the one of the confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It has been operating since 2002 and allows participating countries to openly collect information about each other's armed forces and activities. The 34 states are the parties to the Treaty.
