All terms of the CSTO exercises have been fixed

July 14, Erevan /Novosti Armenia/. Sejran Oganjan, Minister ofDefence of Armenia, said that all terms of carrying out "Rubezh-2008", the four-stage exercises of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), have been fixed. As colonel Sejran Shahsuvarjan, Press Secretary of the Minister of Defence, informed the "Novosti - Armenia" Agency that the head of the Armenian Ministry of Defence made this statement on Friday during the meeting devoted to organizational questions of the exercises, with participation of all command and executive branches of the Ministry of Defence and the General staff of the Armed forces of the Republic, as well as representatives from the Russian Federation.

Joint command-staff exercises "Rubezh-2008" will pass in summer-autumn 2008 in four stages on Armenian and Russian territory.

"The Minister of Defence of Armenia has noticed that upon termination of the last stage of the exercises military staff of the CSTO Member States participating in them will stage a solemn marchpast. The participants who most distinguished themselves will be awarded ", - said Shakhsuvarjan.

Head of the Armenian defensive Ministry has ordered, in his words, to treat to duties connected with the last stage of preparation for the military exercises and their actual carrying out with utmost attention.

In the exercises "Rubezh-2008" about 4 thousand service men from Armenia, Russia and Tajikistan will participate. During the active phase of the exercises, Russia, Armenia and Tajikistan will be presented by military units, and other Member States of the Organization by operative groups of their Ministries of Defence. The first two stages have military-political value, and the third and the fourth stages, which will pass in Armenia in July-August, are the basic stages of exercises.