CSTO again promises to support member-countries

Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) says the CSTO Collective Rapid Response Forces (CRRF) will launch a real assistance within 24 hours to the
country that applies to the Organization for support.

The Collective Forces of the CSTO are capable of responding to any threat to the borders of its member- countries within 24 hours,
Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, the Head of the CSTO United Quarters, told RIA Novosti.

"In case of a real threat, despite the distance between the units of the CSTO Collective Forces, the frontline units of the Collective
Rapid Response Forces will start providing real assistance within 24 hours to the country that applies to the CSTO," he said.
Sidorov said reconnaissance exercises are one of the tasks to forestall the probable enemy, whether it is the so-called ISIS or
other more organized force.

Meantime, the April flare-up of the Karabakh conflict and the inert attitude of the CSTO to the situation in general have aroused a fair
question: as to whether it is reasonable for Armenia to remain a CSTO member any longer. The April hostilities showed that Yerevan should
not rely on its CSTO and EEU partners. First, the members of the Organizations have different stands. There are two Turkic countries -
members of the CSTO and no commitment will make them - Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan -support Armenia in the conflict with Azerbaijan. In
addition, Belarus hurried to insure itself in case CSTO has to interfere with the Armenian-Azerbaijani armed conflict. That country
has changed its military doctrine. The lower house of the Belarus Parliament has already passed the Bill on Approval of the Military
Doctrine of the Republic of Belarus in the first reading. Defense Minister of that country Andrey Ravkov says the new military doctrine
of the CSTO member-country Belarus bans the Belarusian Army from involving into any military operations abroad.

At the same time, on March 30, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr
Michael Carpenter that Belarus will never ever attack anyone or use weapons against any country. Recalling that Belarus is a member of
the CSTO, Alexander Lukashenko said that the position of Belarus in this organization is very simple: "We will never fight on someone
else's territory because we are committed to a defensive military doctrine."

The new military doctrine has made the new comprehensive list of internal and external military threats. The document is based on the
analysis of the military and political situation in the world.