MINSK. Sept 20 (Interfax-AVN) - It costs Belarus about $2,000 a year to train an enlistee, a source in the Belarussian Defense Ministry told Interfax-Military News Agency.
"Belarus spends less money by an order of multitude than other CIS and foreign countries to train an enlistee, while the level of Belarussian servicemen training remains one of the highest in the post-Soviet territory," the source said.
According to him, the Belarussian Armed Forces know how to provide an intensive combat training at minimal cost.
"For instance, the coming Shchit Otechestva 2004 exercise will be conducted without additional funds being allocated for combat training," the source said.
He noted that under the plan Belarus had established an annual increase of 0.1% of GDP for defense expenditures. The defense budget will have totaled 2% of GDP by January 1, 2010.