MOSCOW. Oct 18 (Interfax) - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) forces have launched three special exercises in Tajikistan, the joint press center for the exercises said.
"We pay a lot of attention to the Central Asian region. The main source of instability is the situation inside and around the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. That is why we are holding three exercises simultaneously as part of joint training," Col. Gen. Anatoly Sidorov, the head of the CSTO Joint Headquarters, was quoted as saying in the report.
The Echelon 2021, Search 2021 and Interaction 2021 exercises began on the Harb-Maidon training ground in Tajikistan on Monday.
"Lieut. Gen. Emomali Sobirzoda, the head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan, said, welcoming the exercise participants, that the situation in the Central Asian region amid the events taking place in Afghanistan remains difficult and tends to aggravate," the press center said.
According to the report, the exercises involve 4,000 people and more than 500 pieces of equipment.