Rapid deployment forces to be developing in Central Asia

Participants in a session of the Collective Security Council /CSC/ have discussed activities of the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces in Central Asia. The document adopted at the session states the necessity to determine measures which the Council of Defence Ministers of Collective Security Treaty /CST/ member-states should implement to ensure "the deployment and enforcement of the rapid deployment forces aviation." The CST considers the effective operation of the collective rapid deployment forces "a step to establish a coalition /regional/ military group in Central Asia." The document also reads that governments of Central Asian republics should resolve the issue of funding the collective rapid deployment forces in 2003. The CST includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrghyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.