NATO Begins Military Exercise in Romania

The multinational exercise Wind Spring 15, involving troops from Romania, the United States, Britain and Moldova, began on Thursday at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base near the Black Sea port of Constanta and the at the Smardan Polygon in Galati.

"The exercise starts on Thursday and it is part of the Readiness Action Plan to safeguard the eastern flanks of NATO and the EU, as approved at the [NATO] Wales Summit," Romanian Defense Minister, Mircea Dusa said.

Wind Spring 15 will continue until April 30.

Romania is to conduct more military exercises this year, over 340 in total.

"Some of them will be organized together with NATO and EU partners, while others will be organized by our military units. They are very important for achieving interoperability with the militaries in NATO and the other states," Dusa said.

In recent months, Bucharest officials have urged the US and NATO to boost their military presence in Romania and the Black Sea region to ensure regional stability following the Ukrainian crisis.

A US destroyer is currently in the port of Constanta, while 11 A10 aircraft are located near Campia Turzii the in north-west of the country.

Romania is one of NATO's strongest supporters among the ex-Communist countries of eastern Europe.

Unlike some other countries in the region, Romania has also given full backing to Western sanctions imposed on Russia in connection to the Ukraine crisis.

Romanians view Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, and its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine with concern, fearing that Russia might try something similar with the breakaway Russian-speaking enclave of Transnistria in neighbouring Moldova.

A new military base at Deveselu, in the south of the country,...