KYIV. Jan 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday enacted an ordinance issued by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma to admit foreign military units to Ukrainian territory in 2002 for taking part in multinational military exercises.
The bill was passed in a 230-101 vote, with 395 parliamentarians present.
Speaking during debates on the bill, Ukrainian Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko announced that 17 multinational military exercises with Ukrainian armed forces taking part have been planned for 2002.
According to Shkidchenko, 11 exercises will happen on territories of other countries and six in Ukraine. The latter are to be financed by Ukrainian partners as it usually happens.
Judging from the information disclosed at the session, an exercise is supposed to be carried out at the Yavorovo proving range on October 2 to 25 this year. It will involve 5,000 people united in two motorized rifle brigades with arms and ordnance.
Moreover, the Yavorovo training center will host the Ukrainian-British Cossack Express 2002 exercise on September 1 to 15. The exercise will involve 450 people with arms and equipment.
A joint exercise of a French Land Forces tank brigade and Ukrainian units will take place at the 235th first category testing ground of the Ukrainian Land Forces southern operational command from May 7 to June 25. A joint training of aeromobile units of the Ukrainian Land Forces and Italian Armed Forces will take place at the same testing ground in July this year.
A training of Ukrainian and U.S. Navy special purpose units will be carried out at the Tenderovskaya Kosa training and proving range of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on August 5 to 16. A naval exercise in the framework of the agreement on establishment of the Blackseafor naval cooperation group is supposed to happen in the Ukrainian territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea from June 20 to July 20.