05.06 Russia to Host Annual Regional Security Conferences

MINSK, June 5 (RIA Novosti) � The Russian Defense Ministry will host international European security conferences every year, similar to a recent event which took place in Moscow, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.

Russia hosted a two-day conference in May, titled Military and Political Aspects of European Security, which brought together senior defense officials from Russia, the EU, the United States and Canada, as well as independent military and political experts.

The event did not produce any breakthrough agreements, but allowed the participants to hold an open dialogue on differences in approach toward European security, including the controversial deployment of a European missile shield near Russia's borders.

�We are satisfied with the results of the conference and plan to hold similar events annually,� Shoigu said at a meeting of CIS defense ministers in Belarusian capital, Minsk on Wednesday.

�The conference allowed us to conduct an exchange of opinions on existing and potential security threats in Europe, and also assess the prospects for the development of our armed forces,� he said.

According to Shoigu, both Russia and the West agree that flaws in the existing security system could leave Europe unprepared should interstate or intrastate conflicts flare up on the continent again, as happened in the Balkans in the 1990s and the Caucasus in 2008.

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