MOSCOW, November 3 (RIA Novosti) - The first joint military exercise of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will be held on Russian territory, the chief of Russia's General Staff said Friday.
"The first ever joint exercise in the history of these two organizations will be held in the summer next year," Yury Baluyevsky said.
The decision was supported by the majority of the CSTO and SCO chiefs of the General Staff during a meeting in Moscow on Thursday.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a post-Soviet security grouping that comprises Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional security and economic alliance in Asia comprising Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
The joint maneuvers of the two alliances, named Peaceful Mission Rubezh-2007, will be held in the Russia's Volga-Urals area and will involve ground and air units of all member countries.
Baluyevsky said Thursday that Russia, Belarus and ex-Soviet Central Asian republics have already developed common air defense and communications systems, and are continuing to work on other joint defense systems.
