The just-concluded Chinese-Russian military exercise was not targeted at other countries or regions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

The first joint exercise of Russian and Chinese military forces was meant to boost both countries' capabilities in responding to possible threats to the region, including attempts by terrorists to acquire powerful weapons, Lavrov said in an interview with The Moscow News published Friday.

The military forces of Russia and China must be prepared for combating such threats, Lavrov said.

Lavrov's remarks came as the latest of Russian and Chinese officials, who have said the maneuvers were not aimed at any third party nor concerned the interests of any third country and will pose no threat to any country.

China and Russia held their first joint military exercises, code-named Peace Mission 2005, from Aug. 18-25. The one-week maneuvers, which involved 10,000 troops from the two countries, started in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East and later moved to east China's Shandong Peninsula.

Source: Xinhua