Ways of deterring possible aggression against Russia, Belarus to be developed after Zapad 2017 drill - Shoigu
MOSCOW. Nov 10 (Interfax) - The experience of the Zapad 2017 joint exercises will help develop ways to deter possible aggression against the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"That can help determine the optimal ways to develop the regional group of forces to guarantee the containment and deterrence of possible aggression," Shoigu said at a meeting of the collegium of the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries on Friday.
He said the results of the drill would be discussed at the meeting.
"It is important to compare our approaches to the principal questions of interaction and determine priorities for our future joint work," Shoigu said.
Russia and Belarus pay a lot of attention to the development of their regional group of forces, Shoigu said.
"The Russian and Belarusian defense ministries are working to accomplish these tasks. They are concentrating on the development of the regional group of forces, joint combat training, and the formation of an effective regulatory and legal base," he said.
Zapad 2017 took place between September 14 and 20 at training ranges in Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad, Leningrad, and Pskov regions.