Ships of NATO task forces leave Black Sea - source
MOSCOW. Aug 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Ships of NATO's two permanent task forces have left the Black Sea after a 20-day stay, an informed source told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"Ships of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) and the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2) headed for the Mediterranean via Black Sea straits on Wednesday," the source said.
While staying in the Black Sea, the NATO ships took part in naval drills with a number of Black Sea countries and visited the ports of Odesa (Ukraine) and Samsun (Turkey).
As reported earlier, the reconnaissance ship Ekvator of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was keeping an eye on the NATO ships during their presence in the Black Sea.
The Montreux Convention limits the period of presence of ships from non-Black Sea countries in the Black Sea waters to 21 days.