MINSK. April 10 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he has signed a directive on the upcoming Zapad (West) 2025 military exercise, which will be conducted jointly with Russia.
"I have signed a directive on this exercise because it needs to be organized here," Lukashenko said in an interview with the Mir interstate television and radio company. The firing ranges for the exercise have been determined, he said.
"Despite the fact that there a war going on, the special military operation, we have reached an agreement with President Putin that we need to look forward despite the war and see other directions and possible action theaters, God forbid. Therefore, we will be conducting this exercise," the president said.
Belarus should play an important role in this exercise, Lukashenko said.
"Because there is a big distraction of the forces of the Russian Federation now. It's time for us to show that we can do a lot. Russian forces will be present here, too. Therefore, we will do everything to defend our common Fatherland," he said.
The growing economic differences in the world can develop into military confrontation, Lukashenko said.
"We take all these conflicts into account. We see that this conflict potential is increasing. And it will be increasing because it is a continuation of diplomatic, political and economic wars and contradictions. There is a trade, economic war going on today. It's clear that - God forbid, of course - it can develop into military confrontation," he said.
The issue of the Zapad 2025 exercise was discussed in the April 7 phone conversation between Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Belarusian presidential press service said then.
Valery Revenko, the Belarusian defense minister's aide on international military cooperation issues, said in January 2025 Minsk had already notified the Western states of the Belarusian-Russian Zapad 2025 exercise due to be held this year.
"Zapad 2025 is planned as one of the most large-scale exercises in recent years. It will involve more than 13,000 troops. We have met our obligation and informed all participating states of the Vienna Document that we will host this exercise," the Belarusian Defense Ministry's press service quoted Revenko as saying.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said in October 2024 Belarus and Russia would conduct the Zapad joint strategic exercise in 2025 and its script included modern threats to the security of the two states, as well as the situation in the special military operation zone.
"We intend to keep a high intensity of combat training. The West joint strategic exercise will be its culmination next year. The scenario of training missions for the troops is based on current threats to Russia and Belarus, as well as the current situation, including that in the special military operation zone," Belousov said on October 23 after a joint board meeting of the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries in Minsk.
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