Russia should share more information with NATO about military exercises in the Baltic Sea region, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Friday.
NATO chief calls on Russia to be more open about Baltic exercises
2nd February 2013, 16:40
Please note that the article is more than five years old and belongs to our archive. We do not update the content of the archives, so it may be necessary to consult newer sources.
"We don't have detailed information about upcoming Russian military exercises," the chief of the alliance told reporters in answer to a question about the Zapad 2013 (West 2013) drills that Russia and Belarus plan to conduct in September.
"It's of utmost importance to demonstrate openness and full transparency when it comes to military exercises," Rasmussen was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
"We do not consider Russia a threat to NATO. But we have all plans in place to protect and defend NATO allies," he said.
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said at the same press conference that NATO will practice its own plans for the collective defense of the Baltic states and Poland in a military exercise this year.