Russia, Belarus to form joint air defense system

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-04-2009 09:44

Russia and Belarus have strengthened military cooperation with a deal to form a joint air defense system.

The deal was signed on Tuesday, after talks between Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (R) meets his Belarussian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in the Kremlin in Moscow  February 3, 2009.REUTERS/RIA Novosti/Pool

The creation of a joint air defense field is part of a package toward deepening military-technical cooperation.

Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President, said, "We have been working on the creation of a joint regional air defense system with Belarus for quite a long time. The work is now done. I would like to thank all my colleagues who took part in preparing this agreement. Its implementation will significantly increase the defense capability of Russia and Belarus."