Laos and Russia commenced their joint military exercise Laros on Tuesday with participation from the tank and motorized rifle units of the two countries.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the counter-terror drills involved armored, motorized infantry and reinforcement units of Russia’s Eastern Military District and the People’s Army of Laos. The exercise is aimed to develop friendly relations between the armies of the two countries.
The opening ceremony of the counter-terror exercise was attended by the general staff and leadership of the Lao Army and representatives of the Russian military command and motorized rifles and tank crews of both nations. The military leaders wished the participants great success in executing the drills and skillful operations.
“The Laros 2022 joint drills aim to develop friendship between two fraternal peoples and the armed forces of both states. Military cooperation helps improve the defense potential of both countries,” said Deputy Chief of the Lao General Staff Lieutenant-General Phanseng Bunphan.
A senior officer of the Eastern Military District’s operational group Major-General Vladimir Kulikov commended the consistency of the joint drills, “For the third time now, our units will practice traditional operations in single combat formations to conduct a counter-terror exercise under the motto of “Shoulder to Shoulder for Peace and Security,” he said.
Moscow and Vientiane increased their military-technical cooperation in 2016, after an official visit by President Thongloun Sisoulith, who was the Prime Minister of Laos at the time. The first edition of Laros took place in 2019 at the Ban Peng training ground in Laos with the participation of over 500 military personnel from the two countries.
Last year, Laos and Russian troops performed their joint drills in the Primorsky Region of the Russian Far East under the Laros-2021 program.
