Refusal by Armenia and other CIS member states to attend NATO exercises in Georgia is absolutely reasonable, Novosti-Armenia quoted Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Nikolai Bordyuzha as saying to reporters in Yerevan.

"Holding military exercises in the Georgian territory is nothing but demonstration of support by NATO to the action that Tbilisi took in South Ossetia a year ago," Bordyuzha said. He said many Russian peacekeepers and civilians have died in South Ossetia. 

Lancer/Cooperative Longbow exercises began in Georgia as a part of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program on May 6. The first phase of exercises will run through May 19 and second phase from May 21 to June 3. 

The exercises are attended by the U.S., Albania, Azerbaijan, Canada, Croatia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.

Six countries (Armenia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Serbia) refused to participate.