Belarus to close CSTO air from NATO

The unified regional air defence system may make a basis for a long-range global aerospace defence system of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

This statement was made today by Major-General Dmitry Pakhmelkin, the commander of the Air Force and Defense Commander of Belarus, at a briefing in the Baranovichi permanent post, BelTA reports.

Dzmitry Pakhmelkin said the unified regional air defence system is an adequate measure to balance out possible threats to the “union state”. Interaction in the field of air defence remains one of the most important and priority areas ofBelarus-Russia cooperation in the military sphere. “To ensure regional security in the current military and political situation Belarus and Russia pursue a joint defence policy, one of priorities of which is to upgrade the regional group of troops. We expect the air forces and air defence forces of the two countries to act upon the general plan in future and be managed from a single control point by means of automated systems,” he said.