Russia-NATO to Hold Joint Exercises

Russia's Minister of Defence, Igor Ivanov, announced that Russia and NATO plan to conclude an agreement on mutual deployment of Army elements and military machines.

While taking the floor in Oslo, Ivanov stressed that the document was prepared in the frames of Russia-NATO cooperation in counter-terrorism. In the words of Mr. Ivanov, the first step in realization of the agreement is the fact that Russian ships will patrol the Mediterranean Sea together with NATO ships.

However, Russian government officials are anxious that the agreement will lead to an ?imperceptible occupation of the country by NATO troops?.