- Sputnik International
Russia
The latest news and stories from Russia. Stay tuned for updates and breaking news on defense, politics, economy and more.

Russian Navy commander visits Turkey

Subscribe
MOSCOW, February 22 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's chief naval commander has arrived in Turkey to meet with the country's senior navy officials and attend a joint naval exercise, a Russian delegation official said Friday.

Admiral Vladimir Masorin will take part in talks on the Turkish operation Black Sea Harmony, visit a naval base at Golcuk, and inspect a Russian naval group that is currently on a visit to Turkey, the official said.

Black Sea Harmony is a security initiative advanced by Turkey in 2004. The operation is designed to patrol the Bosphorus and Dardanelle straits, shadowing suspicious ships, and is similar to NATO's Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean.

Turkey, a NATO member, has invited the countries within the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group (Blackseafor - Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine) to participate in the operation.

Established in 1998, also on Turkey's initiative, Blackseafor conducts search and rescue operations, cleans sea mines, monitors the environment, and organizes goodwill visits among Black Sea countries.

The Russian naval group, consisting of guided missile cruiser Moskva, large amphibious ship Azov and two auxiliary vessels, will participate in a joint exercise for communication and maneuvering at the end of the visit.

The Russian and Turkish navies conducted a similar exercise in the southwestern part of the Black Sea in July last year.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала