Belarusian, Russian defense ministries discuss regional group of forces

October 18, Pozirk. The Belarusian and Russian defense ministries have held a board meeting in Moscow to discuss the use of a regional group of forces.

The two countries started forming the group in Belarus in October last year, citing “aggravation on the western borders of the Union State.”

The Belarusian defense ministry said today’s meeting also focused on cooperation in electronic warfare, activity of the combat training centers for Air/Air Defense Forces specialists, and implementation of the 2022-2024 joint defense plan for the Union State.

Board members “exchanged views and made decisions on important issues pertaining to the joint defense policy and stronger military cooperation for the sake of the Union State’s military security.”

The also signed a bilateral cooperation plan for 2024.

“In this difficult period of time, which we may call the ‘hot phase’ of global confrontation between the Western and the Eastern civilizations, we should preserve our states’ sovereignty and independence at any cost,” Belarusian Defense Minister Viktar Chrenin said.

He said that the Belarusian-Russian relationship became strategic years ago, and that the key task now is “to maintain cooperation at the level that it has reached, to develop and strengthen it amid the West’s unprecedented pressure on the Union State.”

Chrenin said Belarus and Russia can remain independent only if they “build new, effective models of interstate relations, coordinate their foreign policy, and increase their defense potential.”