MEXICO CITY, November 27 (RIA Novosti) – Nicaragua’s parliament has allowed Russian and US warships and servicemen to operate in its contested territorial waters to conduct anti-drug missions, local daily La Prensa reports.
Nicaraguan lawmakers voted 66-20 Tuesday to approve the proposal to allow Russian and US military units to take part in joint exercises in the maritime zones bordering Colombia in the Caribbean, often used as a direct transit route for drug traffickers, La Prensa said.
Some 124 US and 65 Russian service personnel have been given permission to participate in an anti-drug effort from January to June 2014. Troops from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Venezuela will also participate in the operations, while Nicaraguan troops will travel to Cuba, Russia, Venezuela and the US to gain experience.
Nicaragua’s task in policing its coastal waters has increased since last year, when the International Court of Justice granted Nicaragua control of 30,000 square miles (79,000 square kilometers) of the Caribbean Sea that had previously been considered Colombian territorial waters. Colombia denounced the decision.
Russia and Nicaragua signed an agreement in February 2012 on joint anti-drug trafficking measures. The two countries agreed to share information, conduct joint operations against drug traffickers and establish a drug enforcement training center in the Nicaraguan capital Managua.
