On November 11, Minsk / Vladimir Matveev - BELTA /. Cooperation between Belarus and Russia in the military-technical sphere is effective. This was stated by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko today during the report of the Minister of Defense Yuri Zhadobin on the results of the Armed Forces' activities in 2011, BELTA correspondent reports. "Joint military-technical cooperation with Russia, aimed at enhancing the defense potential of the Union State in the Eastern European region of collective security, is being effectively implemented," said the head of state. Alexander Lukashenko noted the successful conduct of the most important event in the training of the Armed Forces of the two states - the joint operational exercise "Shield of the Union-2011". "It once again confirmed the strength of the allied relations between Belarus and Russia. The exercise is of fundamental importance in that the 5,000-strong Belarusian troop contingent, being thousands of kilometers away from its country, demonstrated a high level of training and organization. This convincingly shows that we have a truly combat-ready army that can reliably ensure the peaceful labor of the Belarusian people. This should be a cause for pride," emphasized the Belarusian leader. At the same time, he noted that the development of the Armed Forces is a continuous process. "That is why we constantly align the chosen directions of military development with the challenges and potential security threats. We determine the most expedient ways to further strengthen the country's defense capability," added the head of state. -0-

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