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Russia’s Defense Ministry ready to welcome US military at security conference in Moscow

Despite Western pressure, the Moscow conference is expected to draw 400 delegates from 70 countries
A gate at the Russian Defense Ministry building ITAR-TASS/Sergey Karpov
A gate at the Russian Defense Ministry building
© ITAR-TASS/Sergey Karpov

MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Defense Ministry would be glad to welcome US counterparts at the Moscow conference on international security, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday.

"We will be very glad to see our American friends at this conference," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel. In his words, the American were considering the forum as "the most adverse event organized by the Russian Defense Ministry."

Despite Western pressure, the Moscow conference is expected to draw 400 delegates from 70 countries, Antonov noted.

According to earlier reports, the Russian Defense Ministry invited defense ministers and delegations from almost 80 world nations to attend the conference on international security in Moscow due to be held on April 16-17. Among those invited are representatives of all NATO countries and NATO’s leaders. By now, 15 defense ministers, including those from Greece, a NATO country, have confirmed their participation. However top-ranking defense officials from the majority of NATO countries opted to ignore the forum.