MINSK, September 15. /TASS/. Belarus will continue to hold Zapad joint drills with Russia in the future, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said.

"Definitely, we will continue the tradition of holding such drills, if it sparks such an insatiable interest. More than 100 journalists from 15 countries highlighted today’s drills. Apart from that, observers from 23 countries were accredited, with three of them being from NATO countries, including the United States," the ministry's press service quoted him as saying.

According to the minister, the Zapad exercise will be organized once every two years, as the two countries’ presidents agreed. "It’s quite easy to predict where and when the next exercise will be held," Khrenin explained.

The Zapad 2025 joint Russia-Belarus drills are running from September 12 to 16. "We are now at the final stage of the Zapad 2025 joint strategic drills," he said.

The minister recalled that these are planned two-stage drills. "Stage one is over. During this stage, the command and troops drilled skills to repel aggression and focused on such an important issue as organizing interaction. Stage two is currently underway. It addresses issues of the restoration of territorial integrity. The drills are held at three firing ranges and in several areas in the Vitebsk, Minsk, and Grodno Regions. All of these areas are located far from the state border," Khrenin added.