Russia and Kazakhstan held an active stage of the joint military exercise codenamed "Cooperation-2008" in southern Kazakhstan under the command of the defense ministers Anatoly Serdyukov and Danial Akhmetov. Itar-Tass reported. About 2,500 servicemen and 240 pieces of military hardware participated in the war games. Kazakh Defense Minister Danial Akhmetov noted it was important for Kazakhstan to train the joint actions. "The leaders of our countries have reiterated the goal of the exercise as the readiness for small-scale conflicts and the struggle with international criminal groups. These exercises should be regular," he pointed out. For his part, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said the countries have prepared for these war games for a long time, "Therefore, I believe that it is a serious step in the cooperation between our armed forces."
