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Staff Talks with Russian Navy Conducted in Naples

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060506-05
5/6/2006

By Journalist 1st Class Eric Brown, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- To further strengthen the relationship between the two navies, a Russian Federation naval delegation met for talks with its U.S. Navy counterparts May 2-6 in Naples, Italy.

Leading the delegations were Rear Adm. D.C. Curtis, director of Naval Forces Europe Plans, Resources and Support, and Vice Adm. Vladimir Avdoshin, the deputy chief of the Russian navy’s Naval Headquarters, who led earlier talks in October 2005.

“This gives us an opportunity to discuss issues, discuss cooperation, and discuss future exercises and events,” Curtis said.

The meeting was mutually beneficial for both navies, the admirals agreed.

“I am satisfied with the results of the negotiations here in Naples,” Avdoshin said. “I found it as a positive sign that negotiations like this will continue to be held in the future.

The two navies discussed many issues, including a review of the original 34-year-old Incidents at Sea Treaty, an agreement designed to prevent incidents at sea and in the air. Originally, the two navies met yearly to discuss only treaties issues, but recently, the scope of the talks has been expanded to cover overall engagement issues.

“I would like to stress that the United States was the first country that our country signed the agreement with,” Avdoshin noted. “There have been no recent incidents between our ships or our aircraft, but it is necessary to stress that the agreement is necessary, because it provides opportunities for us to meet every year.”

Meetings such as this also help facilitate upcoming exercises involving the U.S. and Russian navies, such as Northern Eagle and Baltic Operations.

“Through new and greater partnerships, we are able to reap secondary benefits, like improved interoperability allowing us to force-multiply and achieve greater goals,” Curtis said. “Improved interoperability with the Russian navy allows for greater real-time mission interaction, which is having a direct impact on the war on terrorism.”

For related news, visit the COMUSNAVEUR/COMSIXTHFLT Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/naveur/.