Russia, ASEAN to Hold First Ever Joint Naval Drills in Early December

Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold the first ever joint naval drills off Indonesia in early December, Russia’s Permanent Representative at ASEAN Alexander Ivanov said on Tuesday. “The Russia-ASEAN naval drills will take place in the area of North Sumatra in Indonesia’s territorial waters on December 1-3,” the envoy stated. “The large anti-submarine warfare ship Admiral Panteleyev will represent Russia in the drills,” he specified. As the envoy explained, the maneuvers aim to practice “interoperability of the Russian Navy and the navies of the ASEAN member states to ensure safe maritime commercial activities and shipping.”…