MOSCOW. Oct 20 (Interfax) - Military threats and political and economic pressure from Western countries have forced Russia and Belarus to take retaliatory measures, one of which is the new Military Doctrine of the Union State, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"Besides military threats, we are continuing to experience political and economic pressure on our countries from the so-called collective West. In this situation, we have to take retaliatory measures," Shoigu said at a joint board meeting of the defense ministries of Russia and Belarus on Wednesday.
One of these measures is the new Military Doctrine of the Union State, he said.
"A new Military Doctrine of the Union State has been prepared, and there are plans to approve it at the next meeting of the Union State's Supreme State Council in the near future," Shoigu said.
The military agencies of the two countries have started planning bilateral military cooperation based on a strategic partnership program developed for a five-year period, he said.
The scale of troops and command bodies training is expanding, Shoigu said.
"In September, we conducted the Zapad [West] 2021 joint strategic exercise. We will practice actions in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The Interaction 2021 exercise involving the Organization's Collective Rapid Reaction Forces is now being held in Tajikistan. In September, the Belarusian troops participated in the Peace Mission 2021 antiterrorist exercise of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for the first time," the Russian defense minister said.
The level of interaction between the military agencies of Russian and Belarus that has been achieved makes it possible to "timely adapt tasks in the sphere of security to changes taking place in the world and effectively achieve them," he said.
"In a situation where threats to the Union State are increasing, a coordinated military policy, cooperation in the development of the armed forces, boosting the level of coordination and combat skills, and also mutual use of military infrastructure facilities are gaining special importance for Russia and Belarus, and the work of the joint board is needed like never before," Shoigu said.
He said he is certain that the results of today's session will help improve the defense potential of the two countries and will strengthen their military security.