BARVIKHA (Moscow Region), May 16 (RIA Novosti) - NATO drills in Georgia have increased tensions and have not contributed to international security, the Russian president said after talks with Italy's prime minister on Saturday.
"I think they will add nothing to the bank of pan-European security but will on the contrary increase tensions," Dmitry Medvedev told journalists.
The Cooperative Longbow/Cooperative Lancer 2009 command-and-staff exercise, which Moscow has criticized as unhelpful in the wake of last summer's armed conflict between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, runs from May 6 to June 1. NATO said earlier the exercise had been planned before the Georgia war and was not aimed against Russia.
According to NATO, the drills in Georgia are aimed at improving interoperability between NATO and partner countries, within the framework of Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative programs, and will not involve any light or heavy weaponry. Russia was invited to take part in the exercises, but declined the opportunity.
Over 1,300 troops from 19 NATO member or ally states were originally scheduled to participate, but Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia, Moldova, Serbia and Armenia withdrew.
