Stoltenberg Warns That NATO Watches Russian Naval Drills in Baltic Sea – Reports

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the North Atlantic alliance is watching closely Russia's naval exercises in the Baltic Sea, EUobserver online newspaper reported Thursday.

According to the Belgian media, Stoltenberg, while on a visit to Canada, said that the alliance would pay close attention to Russia's ongoing naval exercises in the Baltic Sea.

READ MORE: Latvia to Inform NATO, OSCE of Russia's Planned Missile Tests Over Baltic Sea

Russia's Baltic Feet, based in Kaliningrad, started its regular training on Wednesday. After that Sweden warned civilian maritime traffic that navigation in certain parts of the Baltic Sea would be dangerous for some time, while Latvia shut parts of its airspace.

Earlier, Latvia requested further information on the Russian drills, in particular, on the security measures that would be taken during the exercises.

Meanwhile, the country has agreed to halt the air traffic in the area of the planned tests.

Russia's State ATM Corporation, responsible for air traffic management, previously informed that the Russian Navy will launch training missiles in the southern part of the Baltic Sea from April 4 to April 6.

NATO has been boosting its military presence in Europe, especially in eastern Europe, since 2014, triggering Moscow's discontent.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that NATO has doubled the number of its military drills since 2012 in the vicinity of Russia's borders.