MINSK, October 26. /TASS/. Moscow and Minsk need to maintain the existing joint defense mechanisms and ensure constant coordination, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov said.

"First and foremost, we must maintain the readiness of existing joint defense mechanisms and ensure permanent coordination. We have many-years’ experience of cooperation between defense agencies and operational coordination within joint exercises. Operational data is exchanged in real time," he said in an interview with the National Defense magazine.

According to the diplomat, the agenda is not reduced to purely military matters. It includes cooperation in combating terrorism, extremism, organized crime, drug trafficking, and illegal migration, including with partners within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Another area of cooperation is countering illegal restrictive economic and financial measures. "Since security issues are under the personal supervision of the presidents, I can assure you that everything necessary is being done to protect the borders of the Union State (of Russia and Belarus - TASS)," Gryzlov emphasized.