MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/. Russia and China have set up headquarters at Russia’s Novorossiysk naval base to exercise command and control over Joint Sea 2015 naval drills, Russian Navy spokesman Captain First Rank Igor Dygalo said on Thursday.
The joint Russian-Chinese naval drills are scheduled to take place in the Mediterranean Sea on May 11-21.
"In order to exercise control over the Joint Sea 2015 drills, which will be held in the Mediterranean Sea in the second ten-day period of May, a joint command of the exercises has been set up along with the joint command headquarters and the headquarters of the grouping at sea and the command posts of the participating ships' tactical groups," the spokesman said.
The joint command and its headquarters will be located at the Divnomorskoye coordination center near Novorossiysk. The headquarters of the combat ships’ grouping and the tactical groups’ command posts will be located aboard the ships, the Russian Navy spokesman said.
The joint command will include officers from the Russian and Chinese navies. Command and control of the joint drills will be exercised by Russian Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Alexander Fedotenkov and Chinese Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Du Czinchen.
"The main aim of the exercises is to further deepen friendly and practical interaction between the two countries and strengthen joint efforts for countering naval security threats at sea," the ministry said.
The Russia-China naval drills "are not aimed against any third country and have no relation to the political situation in the region," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Joint Sea 2015 exercises will involve about 10 warships from the Russian and Chinese navies, Russia's Defense Ministry said.
China’s Defense Ministry said earlier nine surface ships would take part in the joint naval drills, including the Linyi, Weifang and Weishanhu warships from the Chinese navy.
The sailors will practice "maritime defense, maritime replenishment, escort actions, joint operations to safeguard navigation security as well as real weapon firing drill."
