The military exercises scheduled for the time being in the Black Sea have no connection with the conflict in Georgia, stressed Juan Rodriguez, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group SNMG1) in Romania's Constanta on Monday.
At a press conference aboard the Juan de Borbon frigate, part of the SNMG1 fleet, Rodriguez said the tactical exercises at sea will be carried out in accordance with a set schedule, and the aim of the operations is to promote interoperability among the navies of the NATO member states.
He insisted that there is no connection between the military exercises to be carried out and the conflict in Georgia, as these are usual exercises that had been planned more than one year ago, long before it was known what would happen in Georgia.
"I can tell you that Russia was informed about the exercises the Bulgarian and Romanian navies will be conducting in the Black Sea," Rodriguez said, adding that the SNMG1 ships will not carry humanitarian aids to Georgia.
Ships making up the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG1) will be docked in the Constanta port on Aug. 25-29.
The ships are the Juan de Borbon frigate of Spain, the command ship of the group; the General Kazimierz Pulaski of Poland, and the Taylor frigate of the United States, all of which arrived in the Constanta port on Monday, plus the Lubeck frigate of Germany, also a member of the SNMG1 fleet, which arrived there on Aug. 22.
During their stay in the Constanta port, the NATO troops aboard will tour the Fleet Command and local public bodies, participate in sports events together with Romanian sailors and tour the Romanian Black Sea coast.
The main missions of the SNMG1, one of the four standing NATO groups, relate to control and protection of seaways.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article