Belarus and Russia have a common defense space and are obliged to strengthen it as soon as possible, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said during a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, TASS reported, quoted by BTA.
„Russia and Belarus are not just allies. We have a common defense space, which we are strengthening given the complicated international situation. And we must strengthen it as soon as possible“, Belousov stressed.
The Russian minister is on a working visit to Belarus, where he will hold talks with the country's military-political leadership, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
Alexander Lukashenko thanked Russia for the joint military training and emphasized that Belarusian servicemen are trained on an equal footing with Russian ones.
„I am grateful that our military specialists are not just trained in Russia, but do it on an equal footing with Russian servicemen and are not treated as foreigners. Everything that the Russian military is trained in is also taught to ours“, said the Belarusian president.
According to him, this is an expression of high trust between the two countries.
„We are talking about security and defense - areas in which Russia does not side with Belarus. Moscow does not have such interaction with any other country. We appreciate this very much“, concluded Lukashenko.