STOCKHOLM, July 11. /TASS/. International military exercises involving 750 troops from the US, Norway and Sweden started in Finland on Monday, Yle television reported.

The main goal of the maneuvers is "improving the interoperability of forces and means," the report said. They were proposed by the Finnish Jaeger Brigade, headquartered in the village of Sodankyla in Lapland in the north of the country.

The exercises will last until the end of August, Yule said.

Earlier, the foreign ministers of Finland and Sweden and the ambassadors of 30 NATO member countries signed protocols on the accession of these two states to the Transatlantic alliance at the bloc's headquarters. Finland and Sweden will become members of the alliance after the protocols have been ratified by all NATO member countries.