MOSCOW, October 15. /TASS/. European nations have embarked on a path of rapid militarization, introducing unprecedented measures to boost funding for military spending, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said at a joint board meeting of the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries.

"European nations have chosen a course of accelerated militarization. They have implemented unprecedented measures to raise funding for defense expenditures," Khrenin stated.

Khrenin emphasized that the development of the military-political situation in Europe is predominantly conflict-driven, a condition stemming from the clash of interests among global power centers. According to the Belarusian defense minister, the collective West is striving to preserve a unipolar world order.

At the beginning of his address, Khrenin thanked the Russian side for its warm welcome and noted that the strategic nature of relations between the two countries is being successfully implemented in political, economic, scientific, cultural and other spheres. "However, military cooperation within the framework of a common defense space holds a special place in this array," Khrenin pointed out.