NATO Invites All OSCE Member States To Monitor Trident Juncture Drills - Stoltenberg

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2018) NATO has invited all member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including Russia, to monitor the upcoming Trident Juncture 2018 drills in Norway, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Norway will hold the exercises between October 25 and November 7, with a total of around 40,000 troops from 31 countries participating in the event.

"We have invited all the member states in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), including Russia, to the exercise," Stoltenberg said, as quoted by the Norwegian Armed Forces' statement.

It is important for the alliance to hold the drills in a transparent manner and inform the stakeholders, such as Russia, which "appreciates being informed," the NATO chief underlined.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized NATO's buildup and exercises near its borders, saying such actions were provocative, and could lead to regional and global destabilization.

Russian Ambassador at Large and Senior Arctic Official Vladimir Barbin said late in August that Moscow will take adequate diplomatic and military measures in response to NATO's ongoing military build-up, including Trident Juncture.