Worldwide UN mandate for CSTO peacekeepers

The event took place at premises of the International Relations Department of the Belarusian State University.
The official said: "Our peacekeeping contingent has been formed and trained. In October a major exercise will be held. The peacekeeping forces will have to prove their maturity before representatives of the relevant UN committee. After that we will be granted the right to take part in peacekeeping operations outside our area of responsibility".
The CSTO Deputy Secretary General added that CSTO-UN relations grow larger and more specific. The foreign policies of the CSTO member states are coordinated, the Parliamentary Assembly develops and so on, BelTA reports.
The CSTO has also set up the Collective Rapid Response Forces (CRRF) that consist of over 26,000 personnel from elite units of all the six CSTO member states. A short while ago a military exercise involving the CRRF took place in Belarus. "The exercise that took place yesterday is the second direction of development. Joint military groups have been created in the regions. In particular, it is Russia and Belarus in Eastern Europe," added Gennady Nevyglas.