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West’s Support to the Fascists in Ukraine May Initiate a Joint Air Defence of the CSTO Group of Nations
24 November 2014
EIRNS— The blatant promotion of a fascist regime in Ukraine to undermine Russia and its allies in the region, and the threat of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO, has initiated efforts among the CSTO group of nations to set up a Joint Air Defence System to protect their sovereignty. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), established in 1992, comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. The idea of setting up such an Air Defence System is not new; it was mooted almost two decades ago. But, due to the lack of exigency to set this up, the progress in this direction was slow. But now that matters have changed, Russia is getting serious. A joint system is in place between Russia and Belarus, and there are bilateral efforts underway to work on joint systems with Armenia and Kazakhstan. Sputnik News reported on Nov. 19 that Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing a meeting with senior commanding officers in Moscow a day before, had said Russia is planning to strengthen its integrated regional air defence network with Belarus and set up similar joint networks with Armenia and Kazakhstan. Such cooperation greatly enhances the defence potential of Russia and its partners, and contributes to strengthening peace and stability in Eurasia, Putin said at the meeting. Eurasia Net reported, today, that beyond those bilateral defence systems, Russia is now seriously thinking of a joint system. It cited the interview of retired Lieutenant General Alexander Gorkov, former head of Russia’s air defence forces, with Svobodnaya Pressa, in which Gorkov said: "We see that reports periodically appear in the media about the creation of air defence systems on a bilateral basis, in particular with Armenia and Kazakhstan, but clearly these are only announcements and intentions, they’re only now starting to talk about practical steps." Ramtanu Maitra |