MOSCOW. Dec 1 (Interfax) - The Collective Forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) accomplished all the planned missions in terms of operational and combat training in 2020, demonstrating readiness to do anti-crisis tasks, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The bulk of what was planned in terms of operational and combat training with the CSTO Collective Forces has been fulfilled... These events have demonstrated that the organization is prepared to accomplish anti-crisis missions, including amid a pandemic," Shoigu said at a meeting of the CSTO Defense Ministers Council on Tuesday.
Shoigu went on to recall that this year, Russia hosted the joint Echelon logistics exercise and the command post training of the CSTO collective rapid deployment forces.
Belarus hosted the Unbreakable Brotherhood exercise of peacekeeping forces this year, Shoigu recalled. Representatives of Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan took an active part in the Caucasus 2020 command post exercise.
"Several key documents" regarding the security of the CSTO and its individual member states were also worked out this year, he said.
Shoigu mentioned events held in 2020 despite the pandemic, specifically, the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the June 24 military parade on Red Square, the first-ever meeting of defense ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the CSTO, the Army 2020 military-technical forum and the International Army Games.