Belarusian defence minister upbeat on cooperation with Russia

Belapan news agency, Minsk
20 Apr 05

Minsk, 20 April: Joint handling of defence policy issues and the
development of relations between the defence ministries lay a solid
basis for long-time mutually beneficial cooperation both within the
framework of the [Russian-Belarusian] union state and the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) [member states are Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Russia], and,
partially, within the CIS framework. Belarusian Defence Minister
Col-Gen Leanid Maltsaw said this on 20 April in Minsk speaking at a
joint board session of the defence ministries of Belarus and Russia.

He said that the two countries’ defence ministries made a significant
progress in some directions last year, in particular concerning the
implementation of the union state’s military doctrine, the military
organization establishment, the planning and realization of joint
military and military-technical events, as well as the unification
of the Belarusian and Russian defence legislation, social security
of the military and their family members.

Maltsaw described a joint command-post exercise of the allied command
of the regional group of forces as a major event in 2004 which was
aimed at working out single approaches to guaranteeing the union
state’s security.

Those attending the board session include the Russian ambassador to
Belarus, Aleksandr Blokhin, CSTO Secretary-General Nikolay Bordyuzha,
representatives of the union state’s permanent committee, the chief of
the Belarusian State Military-Industrial Committee, Mikalay Azamataw,
representatives of the Council of Ministers and the Belarusian
Foreign Ministry.

The session is taking place at the Central Officers’ House. Special
equipment has been switched on to make sure GSM-communications cannot
be used.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress