Russia, Belarus defence ministries to hold joint meeting :: Charter'97 :: News

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will come on Wednesday to Minsk on a working visit, where he will participate in a meeting of the joint leadership of the Russian and Belarussian defence ministries, Tass learnt at the Russian Defence Ministry.

“Meeting participants will discuss further development of the United Air Defence System of the Commonwealth of Independent States, military cooperation and organization of joint war games.” “Small doubt that the meeting will also discuss the question on training personnel for the Belarussian army at higher educational establishments of the Russian Defence Ministry,” a source told Tass.

Chief of the Russian General Staff Yuri Baluyevsky will accompany Ivanov during his trip to Minsk. They are expected to be received by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Meetings of joint leaderships of the Russian and Belarussian defence ministries have been held twice a year alternately in Moscow and Minsk, starting from April 2002. The previous meeting of the joint leadership was held in the Russian capital on October 26, 2004.

Belarussian Defence Minister Leonid Maltsev noted at that time that in 2004, “our countries have made impressive headway in planning, unification of legislations on defence and in conducting war games”.