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Defense minister notes dozens of OSCE observers visit Russia in September

The observers had a chance to see the new weapons deployed to the Russian Aerospace Force, Ground and Airborne Forces
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu  Russian Defense Ministry's press service/TASS
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu
© Russian Defense Ministry's press service/TASS

MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. Representatives from 31 OSCE member states who visited Russia in September, had a chance to see with their own eyes that Russia had fully implemented its obligations on ensuring confidence and security in Europe, Russian Defense Minister, Army General Sergey Shoigu said on Friday.

"International military cooperation is one of the most important parts of the Defense Ministry’s activities. At the end of September, we provided the OSCE observers with an opportunity to visit the 790th fighter aviation regiment and the 4th tank division, according to the 2011 Vienna document," Shoigu said at a teleconference.

As the minister said, the delegation, comprised of 56 representatives from 31 OSCE member states, was briefed on the personnel’s combat training and everyday activities. The observers also had a chance to see the new weapons deployed to the Russian Aerospace Force, Ground and Airborne Forces.

"We organized flight demonstrations and performed exercises at the shooting ranges for the guests to see. They noted that Russia was fully implementing its obligations on ensuring confidence and security in Europe," Shoigu stated.

The OSCE delegation paid a working visit to Russia on September 19-23, the previous visit took place in 2011.  

Joint drills as a means to ensure global security 

Russia’s joint military drills with India, Pakistan and China, that took place in September and October, serve to ensure global security, Sergey Shoigu said:

"Without a doubt, activities like these take military cooperation to a higher level and contribute to strengthening regional and global security. We consider it necessary to continue enhancing practical cooperation with our partners." 

The Joint Sea-2016 Russian-Chinese naval exercise took place on September 12-19 in the South China Sea. According to the Russian minister of defense, the participants carried out the deployment of ships and vessels, their inspection, protection and defense at anchorages.

During the Indra-2016 Russian-Indian military drills, that ended on October 2, the two countries conducted an exercise on blockading and eliminating a group of international terrorists. On Friday, the first ever Russian-Pakistani joint military drills, dubbed Friendship-2016, are going to be concluded.