MINSK, June 29. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a law on the ratification of the protocol to the agreement with Russia on the regional group of forces.

The document was posted on the national web portal of legal information on Thursday.

"To ratify the protocol between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on amending the agreement between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on joint efforts to ensure regional security in the military sphere of December 19, 1997 that was signed in Minsk on December 3, 2022," the document reads.

The protocol was signed by the two countries’ defense ministers, Viktor Khrenin of Belarus and Sergey Shoigu of Russia. The document is geared to adjust the legal framework for bilateral cooperation in the military sphere. It specifies the procedure of planning and financial measures to ensure the operation of the regional group of forces.

The protocol will come into force on the day when the last written notification of the implementation of relevant domestic procedures in both states is received via diplomatic channels.

On October 10, 2022, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the formation of a regional group of forces consisting at its core of Belarusian servicemen, per its agreement with Moscow. The first Russian units arrived in Belarus in mid-October. After talks with Lukashenko in Minsk on December 19, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow and Minsk would continue the practice of joint drills, including within the regional group of forces. In early January, the Belarusian defense ministry said that the regional group was reinforced and ready to defend the Union State.