A ground-breaking agreement between Moscow and Berne will boost Russian mountain warfare capabilities, and has implications for security in the North Caucasus. The bilateral defense deal also plays a less well publicized role in addressing shortcomings in the transformation of the Russian armed forces. On July 8, the Russian defense ministry’s Zvezda TV reported on a meeting in Moscow between delegations led by Army-General Nikolai Makarov, the Chief of the General Staff, and his Swiss counterpart, Lieutenant-General Andre Blattmann. The military-technical cooperation agreement signed by Makarov and Blattmann was presented as testimony to the strength of the emerging defense relationship. General Makarov confirmed that Russian officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs) and soldiers will be trained in each country by the Swiss armed forces; this will also focus on enhancing the capabilities of Russia’s mountain warfare units (Zvezda TV, July 8).
Despite Switzerland’s neutral status, the country will play a supporting role in facilitating security in the North Caucasus. Swiss neutrality is an alluring factor for Moscow, since the cooperation is less politically sensitive than assistance from NATO members. Complete Story HERE
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