MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Russian and Laotian troops successfully completed their first joint drills Laros-2019 at the Ban Peng training ground in Laos, the press office of Russia’s Eastern Military District reported on Wednesday.
"The final stage took place at the training ground, during which the units of the joint grouping of forces practiced assignments to eliminate a notional illegal armed formation," the press office said in a statement.
After the troops completed their operations, a special ceremony took place on the ground of the Ban Peng military school to close the drills, award servicemen commemorative and departmental medals and hand in gifts. The ceremony ended with the lowering of the state flags of Russia and Laos and the drills’ flag and with a ceremonial parade.
"The commanders of the drills from both countries noted that the first joint military exercise of Russia and Laos in their history was held at a high level, which will eventually contribute to developing military and military-technical cooperation between Russia and Laos," the press office added.
The first joint Russian-Laotian drills of armored units dubbed Laros-2019 kicked off on December 10 and involved over 500 troops from both countries. The tank crews of the motorized infantry formation stationed in the Trans-Baikal Region, and also a logistic support platoon and an army medical unit represented Russia in the drills.
The Laotian Defense Ministry was represented by tactical groups of armored and reconnaissance units, radiation, chemical and biological protection units and signal troops.
The troops participating in the drills exchanged their experience of using combat hardware in wooded, swampy, and mountainous terrain and practiced the tactic of joint operations in the jungles.
For the period of the drills, the Laos army provided its T-72MS tanks, BRDM-2MS armored reconnaissance and patrol vehicles, PKTM machine-guns and AKM assault rifles to the Russian personnel.