Defence minister witnesses Kavkas-2020

Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak witnessed multinational exercise Kavkaz-2020 held at Astrkhan in Russia and also met Pakistani and Chinese participants of the military drill.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Logistic Staff Lieutenant General Azhar Saleh Abbasi was accompanying the minister during his meetings.

Russia on September 21 launched the military drill, involving almost 80,000 servicemen. Kavkaz-2020 – or Caucasus-2020 – was the final stage of Russia’s annual combat training.

The main operations during the drill took place in the North Caucasus, as well as in the Black and Caspian seas, all of which are part of the country's Southern Military District.

Up to 1,000 servicemen from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar and Pakistan were invited to practice joint actions, while the Iranian military vessels were to join naval exercises.

Representatives from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Indonesia, Iran and Sri Lanka were also participating as observers. The exercise engaged up to 250 tanks, 450 infantry fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers, 200 artillery systems and multiple launch rocket systems.

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