NATO exercises in Georgia coming to an endMay 31, 2009 - 15:25 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A month of NATO exercises in Georgia are coming to an end.About 700 soldiers from 13 countries have taken part in the NATO exercises in Georgia, which culminate on Sunday with a field day of maneuvers. At the start of the exercise NATO set up a staff headquarters at the Vaziani military base outside the capital Tbilisi. The first "command post" exercise focused on coordinating NATO procedures in a crisis-response situation. A second and larger exercise, based on peacekeeping training, runs until 3 June. Officials in the South Ossetia were quick to suggest NATO's military exercises had ulterior motives. "We do not rule out that the NATO-led exercises in Georgia are deliberately held in order to thwart the election in South Ossetia," Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev said on Friday. NATO has denied the exercises are aimed at Russia or Georgia's breakaway regions, either in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another pro-Russian territory. President Dmitry Medvedev has described the exercises as "dangerous" because they are taking place in close proximity to South Ossetia where Russian troops are stationed. He also described them as "provocative" because they come so soon after the brutal conflict between Georgia and Russia, BBC reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |