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.