Batumi port hosting NATO immediate reaction fleet for joint manoeuvres
The group involves ships from five NATO member states and is led by a Spanish navy patrol vessel. Photo via Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
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Five vessels of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) were welcomed into Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi earlier today, with the interior ministry's coast guard department hosting the group for joint drills.
Involving ships from Bulgarian, Italian, Romanian, Turkish and Spanish navies, the immediate reaction force fleet was welcomed by local authorities in Batumi before the Georgian coast guard and the NATO group embark on manoeuvres.
After the arrival of #SNMCMG2 in Batumi, Georgia ????????, a Welcome ceremony was held by local civilian and military authorities with the presence of @COM_SNMCMG2, Commanding Officers ???????????????????????????????????????? of the Group's Units #WeAreNATO #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/e91eFxYRpc
— Commander SNMCMG2 (@COM_SNMCMG2) September 28, 2021
The ministry said the drills would involve overseeing NATO Evaluation Level 2 (NEL-2) assessments for the Georgian coast guard's ship boarding groups, marking the final phase of a four-year assessment process for their capabilities.
The joint actions will also serve a wider goal of developing interoperability between Georgian and NATO maritime forces, the ministry also noted. The latest visit of alliance ships continues a trend of cooperation that has seen Batumi and Poti ports host fleets and individual vessels from alliance member states over the past years.
The visiting fleet was welcomed by military and civilian authorities in the port city. Photo via Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.
Commanded by Captain Javier Nunez de Aparicio of the Spanish navy, the SNMCMG2 has been active since 1999 in operations for clearing sea areas of ordnance, and has involved minehunter and minesweeper vessels for the task.
Led by the Spanish navy Meteoro-class patrol vessel Rayo in the role of the fleet's flagship, the group visited Istanbul last week before departing for its arrival in Batumi.
The group is part of the NATO Response Force, a joint land, air and sea assets force kept on high readiness for immediate deployment by the alliance and created in 2003.
Georgian Coast Guard service and a group of NATO vessels joined forces in drills in the Black Sea, the interior ministry reported on Friday.
The Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, an immediate reaction force of the alliance, is in Georgia's territorial waters for drills with the Georgian Coast Guard service.
Georgia's Black Sea port city of Batumi welcomed USS Donald Cook, a destroyer from the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa, on Friday in the latest visit of the miltary visit in Georgian waters.
“Georgia’s relationship with the alliance contains all the practical tools to prepare for eventual membership. We are working closely with Georgia on security in the Black Sea region, in response to Russia’s increasingly destabilising activities, and welcome the steps taken to implement the refreshed Substantial NATO-Georgia Package. We stand ready to enhance our support to Georgia, including in building resilience against hybrid threats, in training and exercises, and in secure communications. We look forward to the next NATO-Georgia exercise in 2022,” said the communique.
A Royal Navy Surface Fleet vessel has docked in Georgia's Black Sea port city of Batumi in what the Embassy of the United Kingdom has called a "clear demonstration of enduring strong partnership" between the two countries.
Georgia will this week host the NATO Military Committee for the fourth time, with the highest military body of the Alliance set to discuss regional challenges and transformation of the Georgian Defence Forces with the hosts.
Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs on Saturday marked the annual Coast Guard Day by handing out awards to servicemembers for their “exceptional service”, while also celebrating the granting of partner status to the country by NATO for the alliance’s Sea Guardian maritime security operation.