MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Army General Anatoly Kvashnin, Russian Armed Forces chief of staff, flew to Brussels early on Wednesday to finalize the plan of a joint exercise with NATO officials.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters earlier this week that Russia and NATO will hold joint training exercises in 2004.
"These will be quite serious combat exercises, which Russia will hold with individual interested states of the North-Atlantic Alliance," Ivanov said.
The defense minister said that the planned event will involve Navy ships, Air Force airplanes and transport aircraft.
Ivanov told Interfax that "the upcoming Russian-NATO exercises will take place at the parties' mutual initiative."
"The number of servicemen to be involved in the maneuvers has yet to be determined. The number of participants is not important. What counts most is trust since the maneuvers will involve opening certain military sectors to each other," the defense minister said.
He said that the exercises will take place both in Russia and some NATO member-nations.
"More funds will be allocated in the 2004 federal budget for joint projects with NATO," Ivanov said.