US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discussed boosting cooperation to block the allegedly "malign" influence of Russia and China with Montenegro's defense minister at a NATO gathering in Brussels, the Department of Defense said in a readout on Friday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2019) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discussed boosting cooperation to block the allegedly "malign" influence of Russia and China with Montenegro's defense minister at a NATO gathering in Brussels, the Department of Defense said in a readout on Friday."Esper met with Montenegrin Minister of Defense Predrag Boskovic today at the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium," the readout said. "[They] discussed... how to continue to strengthen defense cooperation to counter malign influence from Russia and China."
The Defense Department noted that Esper and Boskovic also discussed the importance of stability in the so-called Western Balkans and emphasized the continuing defense relationship between their two countries.
"The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, including Montenegro's progress in transitioning from legacy Soviet defense equipment, equitable burden-sharing, combined efforts to defeat ISIS [Islamic State terror group, outlawed in Russia], and current operations in Afghanistan," the readout said.
Esper and Boskovic also agreed to continue their close coordination and consultation, the readout added.
