US Warship Visits Georgia Amid Russian Opposition
On Monday, a US warship arrived at Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi to conduct exercises with the Georgia coast guard, in what is the latest of a series of calls with the country that has angered Russia, according to AFP reports.
The USS Philippine Sea, a guided missile cruiser, will be running through a regularly scheduled combined training exercises with the Georgian Coast Guard, says the US embassy in Tbilisi. They added that this visit continues the US 6th Fleet effort to strengthen global maritime partnerships with nations of the Black Sea, as well as improving the maritime safety, stability and security of those countries.
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Photo: USS Philippine Sea
Russia has harnessed ill feelings towards US presence in Georgia since US humanitarian efforts after the Caucasus nation engaged in a brief war with Russia in 2008. Moscow has been critical of US decisions to send warships to the area, and have said that they might contravene international conventions, as they saw the ships not suitable for aid missions.