Belarus does not rule out 'forceful response' to military threats -TASS cites defmin

The Belarusian defence ministry said on Tuesday it does not rule out a forceful response to what it perceives as military threats, the TASS news agency reported. The defence ministry said any threat would be met with a response within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a post-Soviet security bloc that includes Russia.

It said a number of neighbouring countries were trying to damage relations between Minsk and Moscow, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed embattled Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to Sochi.