Belarus ratifies CSTO CRRF agreement

As minister of defense Yury Zhadobin explained, the CRRF is created for rapid response to security threats and challenges to the CSTO member states.

The members of the “house of representatives” of the “national assembly” of Belarus ratified the agreement on the Collective Rapid Response Force (CRRF) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), BelTA reports.

Zhadobin told journalists after the ratification that in accordance with the agreement on CSTO CRRF signed by Belarus, the country will be represented by military units, special rapid response detachments of the interior troops, emergency ministry and KGB officers, in particular, anti-terrorist center and A group. Zhadobin added that under the CSTO CRRF agreement, Belarus is supposed to send 2000 soldiers, 80 officers of the Interior Ministry, 30 officers of the Emergency Ministry and 30 KGB officers.

As the minister of defense noted, the CSTO CRRF would increase the role of the organization in the international arena. The minister of defense underlined there were no contradictions between the national legislation and the CSTO CRRF agreement. “It doesn’t mean the forces will be used anywhere. We have a zone of responsibility,” Zhadobin said. He also said a president’s decree would be signed for any concrete situation.