Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has postponed the naval exercises in the Atlantic Ocean scheduled for February 3-8 outside the Irish exclusive economic zone, as this interfered with local fishing boats. This is stated in a statement by Russian Ambassador to Dublin Yuri Filatov.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
«In response to a request from the Government of Ireland, as well as the Southern and Western Fishing Organizations of Ireland Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has decided, as a gesture of goodwill, to postpone the naval exercises,” the communiqué says.
Earlier, the Irish Foreign Ministry called the presence of Russian warships in the Irish Sea “undesirable.”
Russia has warned the Irish authorities about conducting exercises near the coast of the state, but outside its territorial waters. In particular, the Russian Navy planned to launch missiles 240 km from the coast of Ireland.
After the Irish authorities sent out a warning about the upcoming exercise,
fishermen announced their intention to hold a peaceful protest and take 60 trawlers to their usual fishing grounds to interfere with Russian ships, reports Sky News.
After that, Ambassador Yuri Filatov invited representatives of fishing associations to a meeting. The head of the Irish Association of Fish Processors and Exporters, Brendan Byrne, told Sky News that the parties had agreed to hold Russian Navy exercises in the buffer zone. Channel sources specify that the distance between Russian and Irish courts will be 60-80 km.