Flags of states that are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) before a meeting of the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils in Yerevan. File photoMOSCOW, Aug 18 Contacts of Russia's CSTO allies with unfriendly countries should not harm the strategic partnership with Moscow, Ivan Nechaev, deputy director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, commenting on the start of military exercises in Dushanbe under the auspices of USA.
"We proceed from the fact that contacts with countries unfriendly to Russia should not harm the strategic partnership with our country, contradict the obligations under the existing agreements of general associations, including the CSTO and the EAEU, the CIS and the SCO", — said the diplomat.
Command-staff military exercises «Regional Cooperation — 22», organized by the US Central Command, started on August 11 in Dushanbe. They will last until August 20. «Regional Cooperation» is an annual exercise aimed at strengthening multinational operations to ensure stability, combat terrorism, as well as develop cooperation and joint capabilities of the states of Central and South Asia, the United States and other participating countries. Dushanbe and Washington are planning to hold a five-day bilateral component of field exercises at the Fakhrabad military training ground. Collective Security Treaty was signed by the heads of six CIS member states: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In September 1993, Azerbaijan joined it, in December of the same year — Georgia and Belarus. In April 1999, the Protocol on the extension of the Collective Security Treaty was signed by six countries (except Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan). On May 14, 2002, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was formed, uniting Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan . In June 2006, Uzbekistan joined the association, but in December 2012 it suspended its membership.