Defense ministers of Belarus, Ukraine discuss regional security

By Ali Cura

MINSK, Belarus (AA) - Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov on Monday discussed regional security and military cooperation.

According to a statement by the Belarusian Defense Ministry, the defense ministers discussed over the phone bilateral issues and steps to strengthen regional security.

Khrenin said Belarus has a "brotherly" relationship with Ukraine, adding that his country was not the initiator of tension in relations with Ukraine.

Highlighting the importance of security and confidence-building, Reznikov called for the resumption of cooperation between the two countries, according to the statement.

Another topic of discussions was the "Allied Resolve-2022" military drills and the statement quoted both the ministers as saying that these military exercises did not pose a security threat to either of the countries.

Allied Resolve-2022 is a joint military drill by Belarusian and Russian militaries which started on Feb. 10.

The two defense chiefs also discussed steps to ensure transparency and mutual trust, the statement added.

The phone conversation, initiated by Ukraine, was aimed at restoring the environment of dialogue and reducing negative views, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas