MINSK, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Belarus will invite international organizations and neighboring countries to observe the Belarusian-Russian joint exercise West 2017, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
In a bid to increase transparency, Belarus will send invitations to representatives of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, said Dmitry Mironchik, a spokesperson for the ministry, at a news briefing.
"Military observers from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Sweden and Norway will be invited as well," he added.
Mironchik said the upcoming exercise does not pose a threat to anyone.
"Any concerns and fears, which some countries and politicians are voicing, are absolutely artificial and are characteristic of the Cold War times rather than the real current situation," he said.
The joint military exercise will be held in September and such exercises are held biennially.
