CSTO exercises “Indestructible Brotherhood” will be held in Kyrgyzstan instead of Armenia

The Joint Headquarters of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) will conduct exercises of the peacekeeping forces of the Indestructible Brotherhood 2023 alliance in Kyrgyzstan after Armenia’s refusal, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of Staff, told reporters.

“On the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic, it is planned to conduct a joint exercise with the CSTO peacekeeping forces “Indestructible Brotherhood”, during which the tasks of post-conflict settlement in the crisis zone, and the conduct of a peacekeeping operation will be worked out, – leads his words TASS.

The exercises “Indestructible Brotherhood – 2023” were supposed to be held in Armenia, but on January 10, the Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan said that the country will not receive teachings. The Armenian Defense Ministry considered it inappropriate to hold them in the country “in the current situation,” he explained. Moreover, Pashinyan proposed replacing Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh with a UN contingent after the expiration of the Russian mandate in 2025. At the same time, he agrees to sign the Russian draft settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the details of which were not disclosed by the parties.

The press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said in connection with Pashinyan’s decision that “in any case, Armenia is our very close ally. We will continue the dialogue, including those issues that are now very complex.” The CSTO stated that with understanding reacted to the decision of Yerevan.

On December 22, Pashinyan stated that the Russian peacekeeping mission does not fulfill its obligations in Nagorno-Karabakh according to the statement of November 9, 2020. After that, Yerevan refused from participation in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan scheduled for December 23 in Moscow. And Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic Armen Grigoryan called on the UN, the OSCE and the OSCE Minsk Group to send a mission to the Lachin corridor.

On January 1, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that nine joint exercises were planned in 2023 with the participation of units of the national armies of foreign states.