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MOSCOW, 1 October – The Permanent Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization has largely harmonized the draft resolution of the CSTO Collective Security Council on establishing the Collective Air Force as part of the organization‘s collective security system.

The draft document has been prepared as part of the work to execute the main guidelines for advancing military cooperation between Collective Security Treaty Organization member states for the period till 2020. The guidelines were approved by the CSTO Collective Security Council on 19 December 2012. The draft document will be entered into the draft agendas of forthcoming sessions of the CSTO charter bodies.

The Collective Security Council's draft resolution provides for creating an allied group — the CSTO Collective Air Force — as part of the collective security system. The Collective Air Force will include aviation units of military transport aviation and special aviation of the armed forces, law enforcement agencies (police), interior troops, security agencies and special services as well as agencies in charge of preventing and alleviating consequences of emergencies of the CSTO member states.

The CSTO Permanent Council has also started working on the draft agreement on jurisdiction and legal aid in matters relating to the temporary stay of collective security system forces and hardware in CSTO member states.

Apart from that, a draft resolution of the CSTO Defense Ministers Council and the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils on the joint action plan for operational and combat training of control agencies and units of the CSTO collective security system in 2015 has been harmonized. The draft document will be submitted for consideration of charter bodies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Every Belarusian border service outpost will get an unmanned aerial vehicle within the next few years for the sake of improving the effectiveness of protection of the state border,  learned from Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus Leonid Maltsev during a session of the advisory board.

“The drones will allow keeping an eye on the designated section of the border in any weather and will feed the information while flying along the designated route,” explained the official.

Apart from that, the State Border Committee is working to buy gyrocopters and provide every border service unit with it. Gyrocopters boast increased maneuverability, can use much shorter runways for landing and taking off. “Apart from that, gyrocopters can hover in one place against strong wind. The excellent view from up there and the weaker vibrations in comparison with helicopters make gyrocopters very comfortable for observing restricted-access territories from the air. Their economic effectiveness is another important factor in favor of introducing these technical novelties in the border service,” added representatives of the State Border Committee of Belarus.

The Belarusian border service will still use helicopters provided by the Emergencies Ministry and the Defense Ministry for the sake of protecting the state border.

The introduction of the electronic queuing system at border checkpoints is entering the practical implementation phase. “Following proposals from the regions it has been decided to enable feedback from citizens, including by means of online consultations via the State Border Committee website about border-crossing rules, rules of visiting the near-border zone, and other topical matters of border regulations,” explained the source.

The Chairman of the State Border Committee drew attention to the need to get local population involved in protecting the border. In his words, financial means can be used to reward the active civil stance of Belarusians, their vigilance, and desire to help the border service.

MINSK, 12 September (BelTA) – Belarusian air defense units have successfully carried out a live-fire session at the Russian firing range Ashuluk, representatives of the Belarusian Defense Ministry told BelTA.

A tactical exercise involving live fire continues for air defense missile troops of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Belarusian army. Units of the 120th air defense missile brigade carried out a live-fire session on 11 September using air defense missile systems Buk. All the targets were destroyed, said the source.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry explained that three training target missiles Pishchal were destroyed. Another training target was destroyed by cadets of the Air Defense Faculty of the Military Academy of Belarus.

The intergovernmental agreement on the implementation of the military and technical cooperation program between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation through 2020, which is to be ratified at the meeting of the House of Representatives on 24 June, envisages closer ties between the companies of the military industrial complex of the two countries, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives' Permanent Commission on Education, Culture and Science Marat Zhilinsky told to journalists .

The agreement was signed in December 2013. “The document stipulates integration of the defense establishments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. The document pertains to their closer cooperation,” the MP said. The document envisages research and development in the supply, maintenance and modernization of military products in the interest of the defense ministries of the two states. The agreement is also aimed at personnel training.

Belarusian army still continues examining the combat readiness of individual units, representatives of the Belarusian Defense Ministry. The personnel of a missile battalion of the 465th missile brigade are practicing the management of missile strikes, said the source. Previously the missile battalion had moved to the firing range Osipovichsky.

According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry’s newspaper Vo Slavu Rodiny, the battalion had been given over 50 personnel recruited from reserve. The mobilized resources reached the brigade more than 1.5 times faster than the standard time. For the duration of the exercise the missile troops will use only training missiles.

During the combat readiness test the personnel of the 38th guards independent mobile brigade performed firing, tactical and physical training exercises. In turn, the personnel of a mechanized brigade of the 120th guards independent mechanized brigade continues preparations for combat missions. Preparations are in progress for examination tests, measures are being taken to ensure the fulfillment of training missions by the battalion, explained the Ministry.