“Regarding the drills in the Mediterranean, I would say that I don’t have the information on its schedule, but it is a well-known fact that our Navy holds such exercises on a regular basis. They are held in full compliance with the international norms for events of such a scale,” said Sergei Lavrov.
The day before, Russia had warned nearby air carriers about the missile-firing exercises in the Mediterranean, off the Syrian coast, east of Cyprus.
The drills are set to last until September 17.
Also on Friday, the top diplomat said Russia will continue delivering military equipment to Syria to provide it with sorely needed defense capabilities.
The minister underlined that Russia is not simply supporting Syrian president Bashar Assad, but rather Damascus' fight against the Islamic State. He also called on participants of the international coalition against the extremist group to cooperate with the Syrian army.
[Sputnik]
11/9/15
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Russia tells Washington: talk to us over Syria or risk 'unintended incidents' ...
ReplyDeleteRussia called on Friday for Washington to restart direct military-to-military cooperation to avert "unintended incidents" near Syria, at a time when U.S. officials say Moscow is building up forces to protect President Bashar al-Assad's government.
The United States is leading a campaign of air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Syrian air space, and a greater Russian presence would raise the prospect of the Cold War superpower foes encountering each other on the battlefield.
Both Moscow and Washington say their enemy is Islamic State. But Russia supports the government of Assad, while the United States says his presence makes the situation worse.
In recent days, U.S. officials have described what they say is a buildup of Russian equipment and manpower.........reuters.com