Standing NATO Maritime Group

The Turkish and Greek navies have joined a NATO maritime exercise in the eastern Mediterranean amid a visible improvement in ties between the two neighboring states who have recently been at odds over overlapping territorial claims in the Aegean and Mediterranean.

The statement said that the goal of the visit is "strengthening defense relations in the region and strengthening maritime security in the waters of NATO member states."
The U.S. ship, it is added, is the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

The "Regina Maria" frigate docked in the Constanta military port, thus concluding its participation in the Permanent Naval Group of North-Atlantic Alliance SNMG-2 (Standing NATO Maritime Group 2), in the international waters of the Black Sea, according to a press release sent by the Naval Joint Chiefs of Staff (SMFN).

More than 2,400 troops from eight states, 18 warships and 10 aircraft participate, between March 19 and 29, in "Sea Shield 21" - the largest and most complex NATO multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Naval Forces, in 2021, in the Black Sea area.

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday visited the ships in the Constanta military port that were taking part in Sea Shield 2019, the largest multinational exercise in Romania's waters and international waters of the Black Sea, and congratulated the Romanian and foreign soldiers on their results. "I am very pleased to meet here after you have completed the exercise.

Romanian Naval Forces will host military ships of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) that will stay in the Constanţa Military Harbor during 28-31 July.

Secretary of State for Strategic and Bilateral Affairs in the Euro-Atlantic Space George Ciamba paid a visit on Friday to HMS Duncan British destroyer and Gaziantep Turkish frigate, on the occasion of the presence of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in Constanta.

Patrols by the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Aegean to stem the flow of migrants into Europe will continue despite objections by Turkey, defense ministers agreed Thursday at a NATO summit in Brussels.

The Canadian warship Fredericton has entered the Black Sea for joint drills with naval vessels from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey as part of Operation Reassurance.

The naval base in Varna will host the national naval exercise with international participation Breeze 2015, which will be held between July 3 and 12 in the territorial waters of Bulgaria.

More than 30 ships and 1700 troops from the navies of Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey and the USA will participate in the exercise, Bulgaria's Defence Ministry informs.