Moscow, Russia — Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states have invited observers from Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Mongolia to monitor the Combat Brotherhood-2023 drills in Belarus, CSTO Joint Staff Chief Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov said at a briefing.
Saudi Arabia, Iran, China and Mongolia are not the members of CSTO, an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
According to the CSTO chief of staff, the move was considered at consultations involving officials from the relevant ministries and agencies of CSTO member states as part of staff negotiations and was agreed on by the respective foreign ministries.
“Work is currently underway to approve invitations for observers to the Indestructible Brotherhood-2023 drills in Tajikistan,” Sidorov added.
Combat Brotherhood, a joint operational and strategic exercise, will be held in Belarus on September 1-6.
Meanwhile, the first load of cargo shipped from Russia to Saudi Arabia through Iran via the North-South multimodal transport corridor has traversed Iranian territory, Tasnim News Agency reported, citing Islamic Republic of Iran Railways CEO Miad Salehi.
A Saudi-bound Russian freight train consisting of 36 containers entered Iran for the first time via the Ince Burun border crossing point, Salehi said. The train proceeded to the Persian Gulf port of Bandar Abbas after completing all required formalities. Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is the final destination point for the cargo.
Russia, India and Iran signed an intergovernmental agreement on the North-South multimodal transport corridor in 2000. The number of participants in the infrastructure project later increased to fourteen.