For the time being, there are 11 countries applied for participation in the multinational maneuvers "Sea Breeze-2007" to be likely held on June 9 to 22 on the territory of the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions (South Ukraine). According to spokesman of Ukraine's Naval Forces Mykola Nedohybchenko, Latvia has lately showed its willingness to participate in the maneuvers. As he said, the number of member-countries is expected to increase more.
The Ukraine Naval Forces, the US Navy, as well as Austria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Canada, the Netherlands, Moldova and Turkey Naval Forces will be the maneuvers' participants, Cabinet press office reported.
The multinational maneuvers "Sea Breeze-2007" are expected to be held in the territorial waters and military grounds of Ukraine, in accordance with the Military Cooperation Plan between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and US Armed Forces Command in Europe.
On January 16 President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine singed a decree, which in particular, states that in 2007 it is expected to carry out 5 military maneuvers with participation of foreign troops in Ukraine's territory. The case in point is the tactical maneuvers of the Navy "Sea Breeze-2007", the Ukraine-Russia maneuvers of the stand-by troops on anti-aircraft defense, the Ukraine-Belgium tactical maneuvers, the tactical maneuvers of the Ukrainian Air Forces and the US Air Forces dubbed the "Combined Effort - 2007".
The Verkhovna Rada should therefore take a final decision on letting foreign troop in Ukraine for participation in the joint military maneuvers.
