MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry are taking part in a command and staff training exercise in Myanmar along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners (ADMM-Plus), the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"Apart from Russia, the exercise also involves representatives from the militaries of Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. Russia is represented by a group of officers from the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, the Eastern Military District and the Pacific Fleet," the statement reads.
"All countries currently share the common task of fighting against terrorism, which requires unified approaches. Joint activities within our expert working group make it possible to find these approaches and directly improve ways to counter terrorism. The command and staff training exercise is one of the two most important activities in the three-year cycle of work," said Lieutenant General Mikhail Nosulev, deputy commander of the Eastern Military District, who heads the Russian delegation.
According to him, the goal of the training exercise is to prepare for the anti-terrorist drills set to be held in Russia in September. "Our joint work will also contribute to strengthening relations," he added.
Participants in the exercise, which will last until August 4, will practice ways to create a coalition group of forces of ASEAN countries to deal with terrorist threats.