MOSCOW:

Russia said on Thursday that it would take part in drills involving morethan 30 countries off the coast of Pakistan, in rare joint exercises withRussian and Nato member ships.

The AMAN-2021 anti-piracy drills are set to be held in waters near Karachiin February 2021 and will involve British, US, Turkish, Chinese, Japaneseand other forces, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said that Russian and Nato vessels last took part in drillstogether at the Nato-led Bold Monarch exercises in 2011 off the coast ofSpain, the Russian news agency, TASS, reported.

A Nato official said that the 30-member military bloc had no planscurrently to take part in exercises with Russia, but that the participationof individual nations was up to them to decide.

“Our practical cooperation remains suspended as a consequence of Russia’sillegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014,” theNato official added.

Ties between Russia and the West are languishing at post-Cold War lows,strained by everything from the annexation of Crimea to allegations ofhacking US elections and Syria.

“A planning conference took place in Sevastopol on participation of theRussian Navy in the AMAN-2021 international exercise, which will take placein the waters of Pakistani port of Karachi. The exercise has been initiatedby the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, who also provided area for theupcoming exercise,” according to the TAAS.