SCO Chiefs Of Staff Praise Peace Mission 2018 Military Drills - Russian Chief Of Staff

The chiefs of staff of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states have given a positive assessment of the Peace Mission 2018 drills, Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov said Wednesday.

CHEBARKUL RANGE (Russia) (UrduPoint news / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) The chiefs of staff of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states have given a positive assessment of the Peace Mission 2018 drills, Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov said Wednesday.

The active phase of the exercise took place in Russia's Chelyabinsk region earlier in the day.

"The SCO Peace Mission exercise has been very educational, and all the chiefs of staff provided a positive assessment of the exercise. A characteristic feature of this drill is that the new SCO members � India and Pakistan � participated in the maneuvers," Gerasimov said.

Around 350 troops from India and Pakistan were involved in the Peace Mission exercise.

Chief of Indian Integrated Defence Staff Satish Dua said that the exercise was very well planned and very successful.

The military official expressed his gratitude to Russia for the experience that Indian troops received during the drills.

Zubair Mahmood Hayat, the chairman of the Pakistani Joint Chief of Staff Committee, said that Pakistan would participate in all upcoming SCO military events and exercises, and thanked Russia for organizing Peace Mission 2018.

On Wednesday, the SCO chiefs of staff observed the training simulation in which participants had to liberate a settlement from terrorists. Military management structures, and land and air forces of India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan participated in the exercise. Representatives from Uzbekistan played an observational role.

A total of 3,000 people and 500 pieces of equipment were involved in the exercise, held on August 22-29.

These SCO drills are held every other year.