NATO members Latvia, Estonia and the Netherlands will hold joint naval exercises with Finland in the Baltic Sea, the Finnish military said, noting the drills will focus on “mine countermeasures.”
The training mission will be held between Thursday and Friday following a visit to Turku, Finland by NATO’s Mine Action Division, the country’s Coastal Fleet said in a statement, adding that the drills will include a Latvian mine-laying vessel and mine-sweepers from Estonia and the Netherlands.
“The main goal of the exercise is to search for and identify underwater objects,” said the Coastal Fleet’s Chief of Staff, Commander Mikko Villikari. “In these exercises, we learn to work as part of a group that we do not regularly interact with. It helps to maintain international expertise.”