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Belarusian President says there is no need for Russian airbase in Belarus

Xinhua, October 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday stressed Belarus does not need a Russian airbase deployed in his country.

Neither Belarus nor Russia needs to deploy a Russian airbase in Belarusian territory from the military point of view, Lukashenko said at an operative conference of the Armed Forces command held Friday in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Belarusian President also said that Belarusian Mikoyan MiG-29 crews and Russian Sukhoi Su-27s are daily present at the Baranovichi airfield. "They are coping with the task of protecting the airspace, in particular, for defense of the Russian Federation."

Lukashenko stressed the joint regional group of forces will be used if "a military aggression is unleashed against Belarus and, therefore, against Russia."

Some media earlier reported that in September, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the ministries of foreign affairs and defence to hold talks with Belarus on the creation of a Russian air base and ordered to sign the corresponding agreement.

The Belarusian leader blamed the media for making the fuss about the presumed deployment of a Russian airbase in Belarus, saying they are politically motivated and do not reflect the real state of affairs.

He stressed that he didn't want his country to get involved in the East-West "muscle-flexing game."

"The primary objective is to provide sociopolitical stability of the country and to prevent chaos and any destabilization," Lukashenko added. Endit