By Country / Russia
Russia To Join NATO Antiterror Ops In Mediterranean
December 01, 2005
1 December 2005 -- The Russian military today said it will join NATO's counterterrorism efforts in the Mediterranean Sea.
Russia's Army chief of staff, General Yury Baluyevsky, told reporters in Moscow that two Russian warships will join NATO's Operation Active Endeavor at the start of next year.
Baluyevsky said a direct communication line has been established between the operation's headquarters in Naples, Italy, and the Russian Black Sea port of Sevastopol.
Operation Active Endeavor was launched in 2001 to support U.S.-led military efforts in Afghanistan. As part of the operation, NATO ships are conducting merchant vessel inspections across the Mediterranean.
Other non-NATO countries have also offered to contribute to Operation Active Endeavor. Those are Ukraine, Georgia, Croatia, Sweden, Israel, Algeria, and Morocco.
(ITAR-TASS/NATO)