Sweden and Russia plan military exercises

RIGA (BNS) - Swedish armed forces together with Russia's Baltic Sea
navy plan to hold major military exercises in the Baltic Sea this May.

The exercises could begin in Baltiisk, Kaliningrad a region in
Russia, and close in Karlsrkona, Sweden, the Swedish newspaper
Aftonbladet reported Jan. 17.

The Swedish government believes that joint exercises could be a
constructive way to bring Russia back into the Partnership for Peace
and other international maneuvres, the newspaper said.

At the same time, it quoted a navy spokesman as saying that the
Swedish government has not made a final decision about the exercises
yet. Things may change due to developments in Chechnya; for example,
Swedish Defense Minister Bjoern von Sydoff cancelled his visit to
Russia late last year, Aftonbladet noted.

The Swedish newspaper reminded that in the mid-90s Russians took part
in Western military exercises in the Baltic Sea, but those maneuvres
stopped later because of the NATO enlargement and developments in
Kosovo.