MOSCOW - 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.

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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.

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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.