Georgia abstains from international naval drills

Tbilisi has officially abstained from the BLACKSEAFOR-2012 naval drills, Georgia Online cites spokesman of the Russian Naval Forces Captain I Rank Yuri Zemsky as saying.

The drills started at Romania’s Port Constantza on April 6, with Blackseafor cooperation starting on April 10. Warships approached Sevastopol on April 13 and stayed until April 17. Then they headed towards Istanbul.

About 600 people were mobilized for the drills. Training was carried out in Constantza, Sevastopol, and Istanbul. Vessels passed 1500 miles in 6 days. They practiced missile defenses, air defenses, mine passing, communication, inspection of ships, search and rescue operations, tactical maneuvering, cargo loading.