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Tajik minister says military drills not linked with Kyrgyz events

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  • Tajik minister says military drills not linked with Kyrgyz events

    Tajik minister says military drills not linked with Kyrgyz events

    Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad
    2 Apr 05

    Tajik Defence Minister Sherali Khayrulloyev has refuted reports that
    the holding of exercises of the Collective Security Treaty
    Organization member states in Tajikistan is connected with the recent
    events in Kyrgyzstan, Iranian radio said. The decision on holding the
    exercises was made back in November 2004, it said. The radio said that
    Russian troops in Tajikistan would also hold military exercises from 1
    to 6 April this year. The following is an excerpt from report by
    Iranian radio from Mashhad on 2 April:

    The Tajik defence minister has said that the reports circulated by
    some media sources saying that Tajikistan has been chosen as the venue
    for the Rubezh-2005 military exercises of the Collective Security
    Treaty Organization [CSTO; members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,
    Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia] member states because of the recent
    events in Kyrgyzstan are ungrounded.

    Our colleague, Ziyoratshoh Ahmadshoh, reports from Dushanbe.

    [Ahmadshoh] Tajik Defence Minister Sherali Khayrulloyev said the joint
    CSTO exercises had no relation with the recent events in Kyrgyzstan as
    the decision on this was made back in November 2004. Gen Sherali
    Khayrulloyev said this at an official ceremony held to open the
    Rubezh-2005 joint [command and staff] exercises of the CSTO member
    states in Dushanbe on 2 April.

    [Passage omitted: known facts on the exercises]

    It has to be said that over 2,000 Russian troops and 350 military
    hardware and fighter aircraft, over 1,200 Tajik officers and soldiers
    together with all their military hardware, weapons and ammunition, 70
    Kazakh servicemen and 25 servicemen from the Kyrgyz Defence Ministry's
    task force group with two military helicopters are expected to
    participate in the exercises.

    It should be noted that military units of the Russian military base in
    Tajikistan will conduct military exercises in the country's three
    military ranges, namely Lohur, Mumirak and Sunbula, from 1 to 6 April.
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