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CSTO IS GETTING READY FOR PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 8, 2012 Monday
Collective defense of the CIS countries may be demanded in the
post-Soviet space very soon
The first joint peacekeeping exercise of member states of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the post-Soviet
history named Indestructible Brotherhood 2012 will start today, on
September 8, in Kazakhstan not far from Alma-Ata. Official sources
in the CSTO report that the exercises will last for ten days. More
than 1,000 servicemen of airborne assault, mountain rifle and other
units and command bodies of the armed forces of Russia, Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will participate in the
exercises. According to the plan, the exercise is aimed at preparation
and conduction of peacekeeping operations in the collective security
region. CSTO has never participated in peacekeeping operations before.
Along with this, officials of this organization say that CSTO forces
are going to participate in the peacekeeping activity in the future
including peacekeeping operations of the UN.
It is quite clear that first of all peacekeepers of the CSTO will
fulfill tasks in the territory of the former USSR. For example,
Secretary General of the organization Nikolai Bordyuzha already
announced this. These statements were released after the short war of
Russia against Georgia. Nothing prevents this formally. The agreement
"On peacekeeping activity of the CSTO adopted at the summit in
Dushanbe in 2007 was ratified by all CSTO member states. Fortunately,
there are no such conflicts in the post-Soviet space yet. Along with
this, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko advocated the use of
peacekeepers for resolving of the conflict with the armed opposition
in Mountain Badakhshan at the end of July of 2012. The CSTO did not do
this and the conflict in Tajikistan was resolved by the local special
forces between July and August of 2012. But this does not mean that
the CSTO member states including Tajikistan ignore the probability of
appearance of big-scale uncontrolled conflicts similar to those that
have happened recently in some Arab countries. Peacekeeping aid will
be simply necessary in this case. For example, after breakup of the
USSR the local authorities could not cope with the armed opposition
in Tajikistan. Collective Peacekeeping Forces were formed for its
neutralization and military contingents of Russia, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were included into them. It seems that
top-ranking officials of the CSTO do not rule out repetition of such
events not only in Tajikistan but also in other CIS countries.
For example, some Kazakh mass media have said that Indestructible
Brotherhood 2012 exercises are organized in Kazakhstan to
work out the peacekeeping tasks for prevention of mass disorder
similar to that in Kazakh city of Zhanaozen (former Novy Uzen) last
year. Some commentators already called the actions of the oil workers
"continuation of the Arab spring in the post-Soviet space." Use of
peacekeepers of the CSTO is quite likely in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, for example, if Azerbaijan unleashes a new war to take
Nagorno-Karabakh again like the Soviet time. Peacekeepers may be
demanded in Kyrgyzstan where there is a possibility of inter-ethnic
conflicts similar to those of summer of 2010 in Osh and other cities of
the Fergana Valley. In response to the request of aid by the official
authorities the CSTO refused to provide it. Now when the peacekeeping
contingents are formed it is quite likely that peacekeepers of the
CSTO will start fulfillment of certain tasks.
Meanwhile, they are learning. Personnel of the Collective Peacekeeping
Forces of the CSTO operating in Kazakhstan will have to fulfill
training tasks for separation of the conflicting parties, escorting
of humanitarian cargoes, parrying of attacks at peacekeeping columns,
mine clearance of the terrain, guarding and defense of the entrusted
objects, counteraction to mass unrest etc.
At the initial stage of the exercises the united command of the
multinational peacekeeping units of the CSTO will be formed in seven
days and a peacekeeping operation will be organized. In the remaining
three days the peacekeeping operations will carry out an operation
with occupation of the zones of responsibility and fulfillment of
peacekeeping tasks.
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
October 8, 2012 Monday
Collective defense of the CIS countries may be demanded in the
post-Soviet space very soon
The first joint peacekeeping exercise of member states of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the post-Soviet
history named Indestructible Brotherhood 2012 will start today, on
September 8, in Kazakhstan not far from Alma-Ata. Official sources
in the CSTO report that the exercises will last for ten days. More
than 1,000 servicemen of airborne assault, mountain rifle and other
units and command bodies of the armed forces of Russia, Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will participate in the
exercises. According to the plan, the exercise is aimed at preparation
and conduction of peacekeeping operations in the collective security
region. CSTO has never participated in peacekeeping operations before.
Along with this, officials of this organization say that CSTO forces
are going to participate in the peacekeeping activity in the future
including peacekeeping operations of the UN.
It is quite clear that first of all peacekeepers of the CSTO will
fulfill tasks in the territory of the former USSR. For example,
Secretary General of the organization Nikolai Bordyuzha already
announced this. These statements were released after the short war of
Russia against Georgia. Nothing prevents this formally. The agreement
"On peacekeeping activity of the CSTO adopted at the summit in
Dushanbe in 2007 was ratified by all CSTO member states. Fortunately,
there are no such conflicts in the post-Soviet space yet. Along with
this, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko advocated the use of
peacekeepers for resolving of the conflict with the armed opposition
in Mountain Badakhshan at the end of July of 2012. The CSTO did not do
this and the conflict in Tajikistan was resolved by the local special
forces between July and August of 2012. But this does not mean that
the CSTO member states including Tajikistan ignore the probability of
appearance of big-scale uncontrolled conflicts similar to those that
have happened recently in some Arab countries. Peacekeeping aid will
be simply necessary in this case. For example, after breakup of the
USSR the local authorities could not cope with the armed opposition
in Tajikistan. Collective Peacekeeping Forces were formed for its
neutralization and military contingents of Russia, Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were included into them. It seems that
top-ranking officials of the CSTO do not rule out repetition of such
events not only in Tajikistan but also in other CIS countries.
For example, some Kazakh mass media have said that Indestructible
Brotherhood 2012 exercises are organized in Kazakhstan to
work out the peacekeeping tasks for prevention of mass disorder
similar to that in Kazakh city of Zhanaozen (former Novy Uzen) last
year. Some commentators already called the actions of the oil workers
"continuation of the Arab spring in the post-Soviet space." Use of
peacekeepers of the CSTO is quite likely in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, for example, if Azerbaijan unleashes a new war to take
Nagorno-Karabakh again like the Soviet time. Peacekeepers may be
demanded in Kyrgyzstan where there is a possibility of inter-ethnic
conflicts similar to those of summer of 2010 in Osh and other cities of
the Fergana Valley. In response to the request of aid by the official
authorities the CSTO refused to provide it. Now when the peacekeeping
contingents are formed it is quite likely that peacekeepers of the
CSTO will start fulfillment of certain tasks.
Meanwhile, they are learning. Personnel of the Collective Peacekeeping
Forces of the CSTO operating in Kazakhstan will have to fulfill
training tasks for separation of the conflicting parties, escorting
of humanitarian cargoes, parrying of attacks at peacekeeping columns,
mine clearance of the terrain, guarding and defense of the entrusted
objects, counteraction to mass unrest etc.
At the initial stage of the exercises the united command of the
multinational peacekeeping units of the CSTO will be formed in seven
days and a peacekeeping operation will be organized. In the remaining
three days the peacekeeping operations will carry out an operation
with occupation of the zones of responsibility and fulfillment of
peacekeeping tasks.