Russo-Belarussian Air Defence To Be Formalised In Near Future

The Russo-Belarussian united air defence system will be formalised in the near future, said Colonel General Leonid Maltsev, Belarus's Defence Minister. Following a session of the joint bilateral defence collegium, the minister said that "relevant documents would be signed in the near future." According to Maltsev, a Russo-Belarussian joint regional group, whose mission is to defend territorial integrity and independence of the Russia-Belarus Union State, has already been set up. Being deployed in the East European region, the group is protecting the borders of the countries on the Collective Security Treaty. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said, on his part, that Russia had assigned to the aforementioned regional group the units deployed in the Russian western conclave on the Baltic sea - the Kaliningrad region. He called the results of the Collegium's session "positive and aimed at strengthening bilateral military cooperation." "We are really fulfilling all our political leaders have agreed on and what legislation allows," Ivanov emphasised.