MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is ready to join the United States and other countries and participate in Operation Active Endeavour, which is designed to prevent the proliferation of missile technologies, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov told journalists.
"We are not refusing fanything at all. If you remember, in 2008 it was NATO who refused to work. So the ball is in their court," Serdyukov said, when asked whether Russia is ready to resume its participation in Active Endeavour.
The Russian Defense Ministry is not against participating in international exercises, as long as they aim to be of some practical use and are not an imitation of activity or "creating some impression of work," the minister said.
Recently, Russian warships took part in international sea rescue drills under the supervision of chief of the Russian Army General Staff Nikolai Makarov, he recalled.
"I think that it is very useful both from in terms of organizational things, and from the technical point of view. So, at any rate we will look at it. Probably there is something to learn from one another. I think we will not refuse," Serdyukov said.
At the same time, I do not agree with everything in the practice of international drills, including Active Endeavour, he said.
"Firstly, we do not quite understand whether all kinds of command post exercises should be held there, in which we repeat (the same thing) and there is no further progress. We are slightly uncomfortable about the fact that we are simply doing an imitation of work," the minister said.
"This part can, of course, be reviewed," he said.
Active Endeavour is a NATO counterterrorist exercise in the Mediterranean Sea. Russia participated for the first time in February 2006.
After the events in South Ossetia in August 2008, Russia was notified by NATO that its warship participation in Active Endevour would be inappropriate.
In 2009, Russia did not participate in the exercise. However, in September 2009 NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen invited Russia to join the Mediterranean operation again.