Russia ready to contribute to European missile defense system: Defense Minister

Russia is ready to play an active role in developing a European missile defense system, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday.

Ivanov made the remark at the Ashuluk training center in Russia's southern region of Astrakhan, where he observed the final phase of a multi-national exercise of the anti-aircraft defense system.

"We have put forward an initiative to create a Europe-wide non-strategic missile defense system. Russia is ready to make its contribution to this system, including by providing its technologies," Ivanov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying at a press conference held at the training center.

Commenting on the joint air defense exercise attended by member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Ivanov said it was the first time the exercise had been managed from a single command and control post.

"Prior to that, each CIS member-state unit arrived at Ashuluk with its own command post. Today we have established a single command post, which in fact is the prototype of the future joint air defense task force. Now we will be able to deploy a command post in any region, including the most dangerous directions," Ivanov emphasized.

The minister said Russia and Belarus will in 2006 hold a large-scale military exercise.

"We have drawn up plans for major air force and anti-aircraft defense exercises next year", an Itar-Tass report quoted him as saying.

Ivanov also said that Russia's anti-aircraft missile systems S-300 will be deployed in Belarus in the near future as all contract-related documents have been drafted.

"We see no problems in this respect," he said.

Source: Xinhua