7 November 2016, 16:10 GMT
BELGRADE (Sputnik) – Slavic Brotherhood-2016 exercises kicked off on Thursday and are set run through November 15, with the active combat training phase set to end Wednesday.
"Today we see that troops belonging to three countries, who speak different languages and wear different uniforms, can successfully carry out joint counter-terrorist operations. Such international military cooperation is necessary for strengthening security in our country and in the rest of the world," Velickovic said.
Around 250 Russian troops, including special forces and paratroopers, and 50 Belarusian servicemen are taking part in the exercises alongside 450 troops from Serbia's armed forces.
The Slavic Brotherhood-2015 joint exercises took place in Russia, while Belarus is set to host next year's drills. In 2014, the Serbian Special Brigade special operations unit and Russian troops took part in the SREM-2014 drills.
