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Russia informs NATO on ad hoc military exercise, fulfills transparency conditions

Under the provisions of this agreement on mutual notifications, the sides informed each other in detail on the Zapad’2013 and Steadfast Jazz 2013 strategic exercises

BRUSSELS, February 26, /ITAR-TASS/. Russia has informed NATO on ad hoc military exercise that began on its territory Wednesday, Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said upon the results of the first day of the bloc’s Defense Ministers meeting.

He said he had received the information on the exercise in the course of the ministerial meeting but he said questions about the scope and location of the war games were not to be addressed to him.

What is really important is that Russia fulfilled all the conditions in the sphere of military transparency, Rasmussen said, adding that he hoped Moscow would continue fulfilling these conditions in the future, too.

Russia’s ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko told Itar-Tass earlier Wednesday that a report on an ad hoc inspection of the Russian Armed Forces had been released in Moscow and transmitted by the channels of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and a copy of it had been sent to NATO headquarters.

Russia and NATO have an agreement on mutual notifications about military exercises for the purpose of building up transparency and trust in the military sphere.

Under the provisions of this agreement, the sides informed each other in detail on the Zapad’2013 and Steadfast Jazz 2013 strategic exercises.