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Belarusian President has a job for Wagner mercenaries

Aleksandr Lukashenko said he is not afraid of Wagner members, as he “has known them for a long time”….reports Asian Lite News

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has invited Wagner mercenaries to train his military, according to a state media report.

The President offered the invitation during a speech on Friday, CNN quoted the Belarusian state news agency Belta as saying. 

“Unfortunately, they (Wagner mercenaries) are not here… And if their instructors, as I already told them, come and pass on combat experience to us, we will accept this experience,” Lukashenko said. 

He also said he is not afraid of Wagner members, as he “has known them for a long time”. 

“These are people who fought all over the world to establish a normal civilisation. The West hates them to the core,” he said. 

The President admitted that the world was facing an unprecedented crisis, but accused the West of not feeling the need for a dialogue to resolve it. 

Lukashenko also accused the European Union and the US of “arming Poland at an accelerated pace”, CNN reported. 

“Thus, another hotbed of tension is being created, another stronghold is being created for the aggression of the most aggressive country in the world and, unfortunately, the most powerful — the US,” he said. 

According to Lukashenko, the West is making Poland into “a proxy training ground” to use against Belarus and Russia. 

Following the group’s short-lived rebellion in Russia on June 24 against the country’s military leadership, Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on June 27.

Lukashenko mediated talks between Prigozhin and Russia leading to the end of the mutiny.

ALSO READ: Report: Russian General arrested following Wagner mutiny

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Rajnath holds talks with Uzbek, Kazakh, Belarusian counterparts

According to India’s Ministry of Defence, defence cooperation issues among the SCO Member States will be discussed during the meeting. A joint communiqué is expected to be issued after the deliberations…reports Asian Lite News

On the first day of his visit to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held multiple bilateral meetings, including with his Uzbek counterpart Lieutenant General Bakhodir Kurbanov; Kazakhstani counterpart Colonel General Zhaksylykov Ruslan Zhakslykov; and Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin.

The entire spectrum of defence cooperation with the three countries was reviewed during the meetings, with focus on identifying avenues to expand mutually beneficial collaboration. Issues of mutual interest were also discussed, the Ministry of Defence said.

Informing about his meeting with the Defence Minister of Uzbekistan, Singh tweeted, “Had an excellent meeting with the Defence Minister of Uzbekistan, Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov in Tashkent. During our talks, we reviewed the India-Uzbekistan defence relationship. Our cooperation is based on a solid foundation and it will continue to grow over the coming decades.”

He posted another tweet about his meeting with Col. Gen. Ruslan Zhakslykov. Along with a photo, he wrote, “Had a wonderful meeting with the Defence Minister of Kazakhstan, Col Gen Ruslan Zhakslykov today in Tashkent. We discussed the entire gamut of the ongoing defence and security cooperation & other issues of mutual interest. We agreed to further deepen the defence cooperation.”

Later on, he also shared information about his interaction with Belarusian Defence Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin. “Held talks with the Belarusian Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin in Tashkent. We reviewed the full range of bilateral defence ties and deliberated on ways to enhance cooperation between both the countries,” Singh wrote on Twitter.

Singh arrived in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Tuesday on a three-day official visit to attend the Annual Meeting of Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States which is being held in Wednesday.

According to India’s Ministry of Defence, defence cooperation issues among the SCO Member States will be discussed during the meeting. A joint communiqué is expected to be issued after the deliberations.

Along with India, ministers from China, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are also attend the meeting. Following the discussions, a common statement is also anticipated to be released.

Apart from the meetings and official engagements, Singh will also visit the memorial to the late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri while in Tashkent and meet with members of the Indian diaspora in Uzbekistan.

ALSO READ-‘I criticise Nehru’s policies, not his intention’: Rajnath