Warships arrive in Tallinn for NATO's Baltops naval exercise
More than 30 NATO warships and almost 3,700 personnel will arrive in Tallinn in the coming days to participate in NATO's annual exercise Baltops, the biggest ever held in Estonian waters.
"This year's Baltops is a historic event for us, as there has never been such a large NATO naval presence on Estonian soil at the same time," said Commodore Jüri Saska, commander of the Estonian Navy.
"Baltops 23 demonstrates the Allies' commitment to the defense of Estonia and the entire Baltic Sea region, and proves that practicing in our waters is crucial to that defense," he said in a statement.
Allied ships from the United States, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, the UK, France, Denmark, Spain, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, and Norway will participate in the event on June 5.
Vessels started arriving on Tuesday, including France's Commandant Blaison (F793) and the UK's landing craft HMS Albion (L14).
Exercise Baltops is the largest multinational exercise in the Baltic Sea and has taken place since 1972.
Its purpose is to improve maritime security in the region through partnership and the sharing of resources and to enhance cooperation among the Baltic states.
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Editor: Helen Wright
