MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. A NATO contingent of up to 30,000 troops is permanently stationed in the Baltic states, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said at the International Collective Security Forum in Moscow.
"The current [geopolitical] situation also creates conditions for spiraling the arms race. This is evident along our border, given the high quality and scale of the armaments being acquired by our neighbors - Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia. A NATO force of up to 30,000 troops is permanently stationed in the Baltic region," he said.
Ryzhenkov added that nevertheless, Minsk constantly hears "calls from our Baltic neighbors to increase the presence of both NATO and US forces on their territory."
"Overall, the mood among the public in our neighboring countries is very militaristic today. Against this backdrop, territorial defense units are being formed, which are already imbued with revanchist ideas from within. The idea is that if some kind of trouble suddenly breaks out, they’ll all march in united ranks toward the East and take revenge for that war, the outcome of which they do not accept," the Belarusian foreign minister noted.