Russia is willing to expand joint military training with Finland, the defense minister said on Thursday.
"This could include naval drills and search-and-rescue missions, joint exercises involving units deployed near the common border, and in the sphere of environmental protection in the Baltic Sea," Anatoly Serdyukov said at a meeting with Finland's Chief of Defense Gen. Ari Puheloinen.
A Finnish military delegation, led by Puheloinen, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for a three-day visit to review the implementation of the plan of bilateral military cooperation for 2010, to strengthen mutual trust and to outline areas of future cooperation.
Serdyukov said the exchange of experience in conducting military reforms was an important part of bilateral dialogue.
He expressed interest, in particular, in the creation of military police in the Finnish Defense Forces.
The idea of setting up military police units has been mooted for years in Russia, mainly in the context of brutal hazing and bullying practices in the Russian military.
Military police are generally perceived as being responsible for policing military facilities, enforcing military discipline, and investigating crimes in the military. They should be independent of the military command.
Some experts are skeptical military police alone will be able to do much to stop abuse in the Russian Armed Forces without effective, far-reaching reforms, including the transition from a draft to a professional force, as well as the establishment of civil control over the military.
The military police in Finland includes both professional and conscript personnel, and is primarily used to guard military installations and supervise military traffic. However, it can also be used to provide assistance to the civilian police when they are undermanned or lack special resources.
The Russian military is undergoing a major reform, which will see the reduction of the Armed Forces to 1 million personnel by 2016 and significant changes in the military command structure.
Finland is the only non-NATO EU country bordering Russia. The Finnish Defense Forces, similar to the Russian Armed Forces, are based on conscription.
MOSCOW, June 10 (RIA Novosti)
