YEREVAN. – The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) staff representative sees no need to compare the CSTO and NATO standards. 

“We have our standards, NATO has its,” CSTO Joint Staff Department Chief, Major General Anatoly Yakovlev stated Saturday during a press conference at Armenia’s Marshal Baghramian Military College, on whose grounds the CSTO Collective Rapid Reaction Force’s (CRRF) “Cooperation 2012” military exercises kicked off on the same day.  

In the General’s words, CSTO has its own means for quick combat-readiness and NATO has its. 

We see to it that we have common requirements for readiness. Naturally, they will not be inferior to NATO’s” Anatoly Yakovlev stressed.  

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, the CSTO CRRF “Cooperation 2012” military exercises kicked off in Armenia on Saturday morning. The commander of the joint forces is Major General Kamo Kochunts.

About 2,000 troops from Armenia and other CSTO states are participate in the maneuvers.

During the exercises, which will continue until September 19, the CSTO CRRF units will work out on the use of force and means of collective security in the Caucasus. From September 15 to 17, heads of the exercises will also hold a development and planning of joint operations.

Representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross likewise are taking part in the maneuvers.