Russia will participate in fall NATO maneuvres: Russian official

SAVANNAH, Georgia (AFP) Jun 09, 2004
Russia will participate in NATO maneuvres this fall in the North Atlantic, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his US counterpart George W. Bush on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G8 summit, a senior Russian official said.

"There will be NATO exercises this fall in the North Atlantic," said Sergei Prihodko, Putin's foreign affairs advisor. "We have been invited and we will take part in them.

"The size and level of our participation with be determined by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov," he said.

Earlier, Putin, speaking to reporters alongside Bush, had spoken of positive changes in the US-Russian relationship, including military ties, but had not specifically mentioned the NATO exercises.

"I'd like to point out the fact that our relationship has been developing all across the board, including such sensitive areas as the military cooperation," Putin said.

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