Kyrgyzstan cancels military drills on its territory

Unbreakable Brotherhood 2022, a command and staff exercise program scheduled for October 10-14 in Balykchy, Kyrgyzstan has been canceled, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense. So far, the agency has not explained the move.

The drills were announced this summer. It was expected that all the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states, including Tajikistan, would take part in the event

However, after the military сlashes on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, members of Zhogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyzstan’s national parliament as well as residents of the border area demanded the Kyrgyz government ban Tajik military personnel from taking part in the military exercises.

The CSTO has also given no comments on the cancellation of the drills in Kyrgyzstan.

The exercises in Balykchy were supposed to be a continuation of military drills Interaction-2022, Search-2022 and Echelon-2022, which were all held in Kazakhstan over the period from September 26 to October 8. All these foreign personnel must leave the country by October 15.

The CSTO head-quarters expressed its concerns over the violence at the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan when both sides used heavy weapons. The CSTO urged the two countries to meet each other at the negotiation table to avoid casualties.

On September 14, the Tajik military attacked Kyrgyz border guard stations and several villages which caused casualties among both military personnel and civilians. On September 19, Kyrgyzstan declared a national day of mourning.