MINSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd February, 2023) Minsk and Moscow intend to begin implementing three joint defense and security programs this year amid increased tensions in Eastern Europe, State Secretary of the Russia-Belarus Union State Dmitry Mezentsev said on Thursday.
"We are convinced that we will manage to start implementing four more programs, with three of them covering defense matters. One of them focuses on border security, with two more on support for infrastructure of the Union State's regional group of forces," Mezentsev said.
The state secretary stated that joint defense programs had become even more relevant due to "unprecedented pressure on our countries" and a more complex military and political situation in Eastern Europe.
In 2000, Belarus and Russia founded the Union State, a supranational union between the two countries, with the aim of deepening their bilateral relationship through economic and defense policy integration. In November 2021, the countries approved 28 sectoral programs within the frameworks of the Union State covering about 1,000 projects. The programs aim to unify laws and reinforce inter-state integration in various sectors of the economy.
