Syrian opposition, government preparing for peace talks - Brahimi 
“We should take into consideration not only changes in the situation along our borders but also new developments in other regions of the world, such as the Middle East, the so-called ‘arc of instability’ in North Africa, and Afghanistan,” Putin declared at a meeting with senior army officers on the occasion of their promotion to higher ranks.
Putin said that defending Russia remains our ‘unconditional priority’ and that the government modernizes the armed forces and makes a great contribution to their overhauling. Putin mentioned the fact that the share of the new generation of weapons and equipment in the armed forces will reach 30% in three years and 70% in five years.
“We will be paying special attention to the consolidation of the officers’ corps, and implementation of new methods of training commanders. Training soldiers remains the main task for officers,” the president said.
RIA
