MADRID. June 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia and NATO have agreed to hold joint command-post theater missile defense exercises in the U.S.
A statement issued by the NATO-Russia Council following a ministerial meeting in Madrid on Wednesday reads that the agreement on planning and holding joint Russian-NATO command post exercises for theater missile defense systems in the U.S. confirms the obligations assumed by the 20 countries to devise a practical approach to joint work and to improve the compatibility of Russian and NATO systems.
Diplomats told Interfax that the dates for the exercises have not yet been set.
The foreign ministers who took part in the meeting welcomed the progress reached in working out common terminology and a basic concept for possible future deployment of theater missile defense systems, the document says.
Such systems are to be used for supporting crisis response operations involving NATO-Russia forces, it says.
In Madrid, the parties agreed to start the first phase of detailed studies on system compatibility. These studies concern technical standards and opportunities for cooperation in joint multinational operations, the statement reads.