BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/10/2008

Russia, Belarus to unify air defence against NATO

Russia and Belarus will unify their air-defence systems to counter NATO in an agreement to be signed next month, a senior Russian official was quoted as saying yesterday.

"I have no doubt" that on November 2 the two countries will sign an deal to form a united air-defence system, Pavel Borodin, head of the Russia-Belarus regional bloc, was quoted as saying by Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies.

"In the military sense, this is essentially a defence against NATO," added Borodin, secretary of the Union of Russia and Belarus, speaking ahead of meeting yesterday of defence officials from the two countries.

The Union of Russia and Belarus was created in 1997 with the stated goal of reunifying the two former Soviet republics, but progress toward integration has been slow and the union is viewed by many as largely symbolic.

An air-defence agreement would be a major step forward for the bloc, which has largely focused on trade issues and visa agreements and has done little in terms of defence.

"Cooperation between the armed forces of our two governments in the defence sphere is continuing to develop," Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was quoted as saying at the same event as Borodin.

Yesterday's meeting "would enable the implementation of tasks aimed at creating a defence system of the Union State within the framework of a united defence space," Serdyukov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti, referring to the regional pact.

Source:

http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17383&Itemid=33

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