Lukashenka has sent Belarusian troops to CORF exercise
- 7.10.2009, 12:11
An operative group from the Defence ministry attends strategic exercises “Interaction -2009” in Kazakhstan.
Troops gathered at the Matybulak training grounds in Kazakhstan for the maneuvers on October 7. The Collective Operational Reaction Forces (CORF) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are taking part in the joint military drills “Interaction – 2009”.
As informed by ITAR-TASS with a reference to the press-service of the Russian Defence Ministry, “
The training is held with the use of a half of ammunition load. Units of Ministry Forces and other force structures of Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Tadzhikistan are taking part in the drills. Belarus is represented by an operative group of the Defence Ministry. They work in the headquarters of the drills. Uzbekistan does not take part in the exercises”.
As we have informed, in September 2009 joint Russian-Belarusian “Zapad 2009” exercises took place in Belarus. We remind that Zapad-2009 drills involve more than 12000 service personnel and some hundreds of units of military equipment. 6000 troops from Russia entered Belarus, which has never happened before. The exercise used 103 airborne devices (including 63 aircrafts and 40 helicopters), around 470 armoured fighting vehicles, 228 tanks, 234 self-propelled and towed artillery units, mortars and multiple launch rocket systems.
“Zapad-2009” was held on September 8-29 under a joint command of Headquarters of the Military Forces of Belarus and Russia and was a final event of the operational drills of the Military Forces of the “union state” in 2009.
On August 27 during the talks with Russian president Medvedev, Alyaksandr Lukashenka stated that he was ready to head the CSTO and join the CORF.
On October 6 deputy of the “chamber of representatives” Viktar Huminski stated that a political decision on signing the agreement on the CSTO Collective Operational Response Forces (CORF) was adopted.
Independent experts are convinced that the CORF is created primarily for quashing people’s protests in the member countries of the CSTO under the conditions of the crisis.