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BRUSSELS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow on Tuesday signed an agreement on airspace management arrangements with the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the security organization announced.
During the signing ceremony, on the sideline of a NATO defence ministers meeting, Vershbow stressed this agreement between NATO and the three Baltic states would facilitate more air training opportunities in the Baltic region.
"This sends a clear message of the alliance's shared responsibility and resolve to protect NATO's territory and populations," he said.
It contains provisions for the execution of NATO's air policing mission in the region, taking into account the evolution of national regulations for airspace management in the three Baltic states.
The newly signed agreement will also improve civil-military coordination, according to NATO press release.
NATO Baltic Air Policing missions have been carried out since 2004 with NATO allies taking turns deploying their interceptors and staff in the Baltic states in four-month rotations. Enditem
