MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) - The Russian and Finnish Defense Ministries have established a direct communication link as a confidence building measure in the Baltic Sea region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
"The main purpose of this communication channel, which has been set up based on a mutual agreement, is to build confidence and improve transparency of military activities in the Baltic Sea region," it said.
The direct telephone line has been established between the Russian Defense Ministry's National Defense Management Center and the Finnish Defense Forces Defense Command, it said.
This communication channel has been operational round-the-clock since the start of November.
It was reported earlier that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered in July 2016 that proposals be prepared to develop confidence building measures to improve the safety of flights of military aircraft in the Baltic Sea area. The Russian Defense Ministry said at the time that it was prepared to thoroughly discuss the matter with NATO.