SPLIT, Sept 19 (Hina) - The NATO-led naval exercise "Cooperative Engagement" -- which involved ten ships, five aircraft and 500 soldiers from 13 member states of NATO and its Partnership for Peace programme -- ended on Friday in a
naval training area between the southern Adriatic islands of Brac and Hvar. #L Croatia participated in the exercise with two patrol ships and a helicopter. The exercise was designed as a search and rescue operation at sea following a mock terrorist attack on a ship. NATO Southern Command spokesman Lieutenant Commander Harvey Burwin said all the participants had reached a high level of coordination by successfully overcoming language barriers and adjusting to different command systems. Asked if Croatia had shown it was ready to join NATO, Burwin replied that the purpose of the exercise was not to assess Croatia's readiness to enter the alliance, but to train different navies for a j
SPLIT, Sept 19 (Hina) - The NATO-led naval exercise "Cooperative
Engagement" -- which involved ten ships, five aircraft and 500
soldiers from 13 member states of NATO and its Partnership for Peace
programme -- ended on Friday in a naval training area between the
southern Adriatic islands of Brac and Hvar. #L
Croatia participated in the exercise with two patrol ships and a
helicopter. The exercise was designed as a search and rescue
operation at sea following a mock terrorist attack on a ship.
NATO Southern Command spokesman Lieutenant Commander Harvey Burwin
said all the participants had reached a high level of coordination
by successfully overcoming language barriers and adjusting to
different command systems.
Asked if Croatia had shown it was ready to join NATO, Burwin replied
that the purpose of the exercise was not to assess Croatia's
readiness to enter the alliance, but to train different navies for a
joint operation in accordance with NATO standards.
Croatia has proved to be an excellent host and its navy has shown
that it is capable of any joint operation under NATO standards,
Commander Nigel Williams, who was in charge of the exercise, said
after the ships returned to Split's naval port of Lora.
The Croatian Navy personnel were led by Commander Predrag
Stipanovic, who said that the exercise was yet another step towards
NATO membership through completion of missions within the
Partnership for Peace programme.
Stipanovic said that particular care was taken so as not to disturb
the peace of the local population and tourists vacationing in the
area. He added that no complaints had been received from port
authorities.
The exercise "Cooperative Engagement" is held every two years in
different country. This year it involved 13 countries -- NATO
members: Belgium, France, Greece and Italy; partner countries and
members of the Partnership for Peace programme: Albania, Russia,
Ukraine, Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia; and
Algeria as a member of the Mediterranean Dialogue programme.
(hina) vm