BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03/02/2009

Russia, Belarus sign new air defense deal

The Associated Press

MOSCOW: Russia and Belarus agreed to form a joint air defense system, the Kremlin said Tuesday, strengthening military cooperation between the two uneasy allies.

The agreement - announced after talks between President Dmitry Medvedev and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko - would create a joint force consisting of Russian and Belarusian air force squadrons, missile batteries and radar facilities.

The deal reflects a deep mistrust of Western intentions by both ex-Soviet republics, as well as their shared opposition to NATO's expansion into former Soviet turf and U.S. plans to build missile defense sites in Belarus' neighbor Poland and the Czech Republic.

Medvedev hailed the deal during the talks, saying it "will significantly increase the defense capability of Russia and Belarus."

Russian air force chief, Gen. Alexander Zelin, has said the joint system would help Russian and Belarusian militaries to strengthen monitoring of airspace. The system will include five air force units and 10 air defense missile units, Zelin was quoted by Russian news reports as saying.

Source:

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/03/europe/EU-Russia-Belarus.php

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