NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, summing up the results of the second day of meetings of the foreign ministers of the alliance member countries, said on Wednesday, December 2, that Russia continues to build up its military power in Crimea.
“We reviewed the security situation in the Black Sea, which is of strategic importance. Russia continues to violate the territorial integrity of Georgia and Ukraine, continues to build up its military power in Crimea, and is increasingly deploying forces in the Black Sea region, “RIA Novosti quotes him.
Stoltenberg added that NATO will respond to such actions by Russia “by strengthening its presence on land, at sea and in the air,” and the alliance foreign ministers agreed on further steps to strengthen the dialogue with Georgia and Ukraine.
On November 30, Stoltenberg announced during a press conference in Munich that NATO will continue to build up its military presence in the Black Sea region. As the Secretary General of the alliance recalled, several member countries of the alliance have access to the Black Sea and the region remains important for NATO, therefore the presence of the contingent will be increased.
In response to this statement, Crimean State Duma deputy Ruslan Balbek noted that NATO has no interests in the Black Sea, except for creating a threat to Russia’s national security. And therefore, in his opinion, the response to the aggressiveness of the North Atlantic Organization will be high combat readiness of the Russian Armed Forces in the region.
Earlier in November, the forces and assets of the Russian Black Sea Fleet began tracking the actions of the American destroyer Donald Cook, which entered the Black Sea. The ship’s entry was the seventh time that US warships were dispatched to the region in a year.
A month earlier, four NATO warships entered the Black Sea. We are talking about the universal transport ship “Aliakmon” of the Greek Navy, the minesweeper-finder “Orion” of the French Navy, the sea minesweeper “Alghero” of the Italian Navy and the base Spanish military minesweeper “Duero”.
In January, Stoltenberg also announced that the Black Sea is a strategically important region for NATO, in connection with which the alliance will increase its presence in it.