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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Post-Soviet nations to form military force
2009-02-05
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian-led bloc of post-Soviet nations has agreed to establish a rapid-reaction military force to combat terrorists and respond to regional emergencies, Russian media reported Wednesday. On Wednesday, the Collective Security Treaty Organization -- made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan -- decided on the rapid-reaction force at a Kremlin summit, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.
Quick: what's seven times nothing?
The group's security council "spent a long time discussing the central issue of forming collective reaction forces and, generally, of rapid reaction to possible threats," said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Russian news agency Interfax. "Everyone agreed that the formation of joint forces is necessary," he said.

Officials told Russian media that all the members had signed the agreement, though Uzbekistan submitted a special provision. Uzbekistan doesn't mind contributing military units to the rapid-reaction force "but does not consider it necessary for the moment" to attach emergency responders, drug-control forces and other special services, organization spokesman Vitaly Strugovets told Interfax.

Russian media reported that the force will be used to fight military aggressors, conduct anti-terror operations, battle regional drug trafficking and respond to natural disasters. The force will be based in Russia under a single command, with member nations contributing military units.
With Vlad's most trusted general in charge.
Posted by:Steve White

#11  They should be sweating because the Azeris can't fight for shit & their wealth is dependent upon secure pipelines which the Georgia war just demonstrated to be easily disruptable, and a Caspian oil industry shared by, oh, you know, all the other members of this new "anti-terrorism force". Armenia's dependence upon Russian handouts isn't anything new. They've got a Russian division or two parked in their backyard. But Armenia's membership in a Warsaw Pact Part II with the non-Turkish members of the post-Soviet Near East *is* new.

Look, I'd prefer to favor the Armenian cause. They're plucky, pugnacious, resilient, and a regional underdog. But they've got some damned poisonous relations with the Azeris & their deal with the Russian devil puts them firmly into the category of international "black hats".
Posted by: Mitch H.   2009-02-05 17:06  

#10  Why would the Azeris sweat. They are going to be rich and can afford to swamp the Armenians. It's the Armenians who need the alliance w/ the Russians. Armenia is land locked and surrounded by muslims except for Georgia, and that route is definitely closed to any Russian help.
Posted by: ed   2009-02-05 14:09  

#9  Can't or won't, Mitch?
Posted by: lotp   2009-02-05 13:38  

#8  Azerbaijan has got to be feeling the cold sweats tonight. Armenia just signed the practical equivalent of a military alliance with Azerbaijan's Caspian neighbors, or at least, those of them other than Iran and Turkmenistan. Couple that with last year's little demonstration in Georgia and Azerbaijan's backed into a corner.

I betcha we're going to see a Turkish/Persian axis in a few months, if Obama can't back up the implicit Bush/Clinton alliance with Azerbaijan. The Kyrgyz eggsplat doesn't bode well for *that* bet.
Posted by: Mitch H.   2009-02-05 12:39  

#7  Enjoy your new Russian bride President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-02-05 11:58  

#6  War games:

After announcing $2 billion in loans from Russia, the president of Kyrgyzstan announced the United States will no longer have access to the Manas air base, the lone base U.S. commanders have permission to use in Central Asia and a key supply line for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"More than once we have discussed with our American partners the subject of the economic compensation to Kyrgyzstan for the presence [of the U.S. base], but unfortunately, we did not find an understanding from the United States," Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said Tuesday. "For over three years, we have been talking of the need to review the terms of the agreement, which do not satisfy us completely, yet we have not seen an understanding from the United States."

Less than 24 hours later, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he and his ex-Soviet allies want to cooperate with Washington in Afghanistan in return for no expansion among NATO membership and a U.S. reversal on a missile defense shield for Europe that Russia opposes.

"Missile defense is a piece of it," said George Friedman, CEO of Stratfor Security. "The entire question that's on the table here is will the U.S. recognize the Russians' sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union in return for providing a supply line into Afghanistan?"
Posted by: ThealingBorgia 122   2009-02-05 11:45  

#5  So instead of one ineffective cluster-fuck, we get two.

Genius!
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-02-05 08:27  

#4  CSTO RAPID-REACTION FORCE WILL BE THE EQUAL OF NATO'S!

I can't help thinking that one or both parties should find that insulting.
Posted by: SteveS   2009-02-05 02:13  

#3  See also TOPX/FREREPUBLIC > RUSSIA'S MEDVEDEV: CSTO RAPID-REACTION FORCE WILL BE THE EQUAL OF NATO'S!
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2009-02-05 01:43  

#2  This will be a nice match for the EU rapid reaction force, I imagine.
Posted by: trailing wife   2009-02-05 01:35  

#1  "Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan"

RABKKUT?
Posted by: mojo   2009-02-05 00:10  

00:00