Makhachkala, July 23, 2014. Russian and Azerbaijani ships will hold joint military exercises in the Caspian Sea, said head of the FSB’s border board in Daghestan Igor Shmotkin at a press conference on Tuesday.
Earlier in the week, a border guard cruiser of the Azerbaijani state border guard service paid a friendly visit to the port of Makhachkala as the first sign of cooperation between the Russian FSB’s border service and the Azerbaijani border service.
Igor Shmotkin said a delegation of experts from the Azerbaijani border service headed by deputy chief of the coast guard service Gadzhali Gadzhaliev came to Daghestan to share experiences in Caspian marine biological resources protection in the republic. Daghestan minister of national policy Alexei Gassanov attended a briefing on the joint exercises.
"The visit implies cultural and sporting events including a visit to Makhachkala museums and to an exhibition volleyball game between the crews of the Azerbaijani and Russian border ships," said Daghestan border guard official. He added that the visit will end in an international exercise to counter illegal fishing of Caspian living resources, illegal migration, smuggling of weapons, explosives and other illicit goods.
