KALININGRAD. Nov 27 (Interfax-Northwest) - The Russian Baltic Fleet and the Swedish Royal Navy are carrying out a joint command post exercise to aid surface ships and submarines in distress.
They will check their maps and the compatibility of the hardware on Russian and Swedish rescue ships, the Baltic Fleet press service told Interfax on Wednesday. The command of the fleet and the Swedish Royal Navy will use maps to work out a full and specific plan of real exercises in the sea scheduled for the second half of 2003. The plan is to be approved by superior staffs and the Defense Ministries of the two nations.
A basic agreement on holding joint exercises to aid surface ships and submarines in distress was reached during a meeting of Baltic Fleet Commander Admiral Vladimir Valuyev and Swedish Royal Navy Commander Brigadier General Bengt Andersson.
The command post exercise is held in the framework of a Russian-Swedish program of strengthening naval cooperation and trust measures. The program was signed by the Russian and Swedish defense ministers in April 2002, the press service stressed.