TSAMTO, June 24. The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, held a working meeting with the head of the Military Department of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin, on June 23 in Moscow.
In his speech, Sergei Shoigu called Belarus an important strategic partner, Russia's closest friend and ally, noting the unprecedented pressure from the West, under which bilateral military cooperation is developing.
"The Republic of Belarus is our most important strategic partner, closest friend and ally. Today, bilateral military cooperation is developing in the face of unprecedented Western pressure and an undeclared war against our countries," the Russian Defense Minister said.
Sergei Shoigu added that Russia highly appreciates the determination of Belarusians to resist the confrontational course of the United States and its allies, as well as their readiness to form a unified defense space together within the borders of the Union State.
In addition, the head of the Russian military department stated the need to strengthen the defense capability of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, including in terms of a unified regional air defense system.
"Circumstances dictate the need to take urgent joint measures to strengthen the defense capability of the Union State, increase the combat readiness of the regional grouping of troops (forces) and the unified regional air defense system. Today it is becoming more and more relevant, and the Russian side is ready to provide "any support to Belarusian friends in this," Sergei Shoigu said.,
In continuation of the meeting, the head of the Russian military department invited his Belarusian counterpart to the Moscow Security Conference, the military-technical forum "Army" and the Army International Games-2022.
"Taking this opportunity, I would like to invite you and the Belarusian delegations to the X Moscow Conference on International Security, the Army International Games and the Army International Military-Technical Forum, which will be held in August," the Russian Defense Minister said.
Sergei Shoigu informed that there will be a lot of new and interesting things at the forum, as "we are not standing still, we are correcting something, adding something. Russia is ready to share its best practices with friends and allies."
The head of the Russian military department also recalled that on June 22, the peoples of the two countries celebrated the next anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The Minister said that a particle of Eternal Flame, delivered from the Brest Fortress to the Main Church of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, became a symbol of the unity of Russia and Belarus in opposing aggression and genocide.
Sergei Shoigu also expressed his desire to provide support and assistance to the Republic of Belarus in creating a center for patriotic education of young people by analogy with the Russian center "Avangard".
In turn, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Khrenin noted that the attempts of the West to "drive a stake" into the relations of the Russian Federation and Belarus, on the contrary, only unite the two fraternal countries.
"We are meeting with you at a difficult, difficult time... but no matter how hard our opponents try, and, probably, it is necessary to say, opponents, to drive a stake between our countries, on the contrary, we are getting closer and closer, demonstrating the most fraternal relations," V. Khrenin said.
According to him, such fraternal relations have become the foundation, "a cementing property for our further joint work."
V. Khrenin also thanked S. Shoigu for the decisions taken within the framework of military-technical cooperation, the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports.
