Maniobras aéreas de la OTAN en los países bálticos/NATO air forces to train over Baltic countries

Fuerzas de la OTAN realizarán maniobras en los estados Bálticos a finales de marzo de 2010. Se realizará sobre Letonia, Lituania y Estonia y participarán Mirage 2000 franceses y F-16 polacos, además de avisones cisterna norteamericanos. La OTAN, mantine un destacamento rotatorio de cazas en el Báltico desde que los tres países se unieron a la alianza en 2004, ya que estos no disponen de cazas adecuados para la misión. Las relaciones entre la OTAN y Moscú se enfriaron tras la invasión de Georgia en 2008, pero han mejorado con la administración Obama .
Esto ha sido tomado por los países bálticos como una amenaza para su seguridad, y se encuentran alarmados por la posible vente de 4 buques portahelicópteros clase Mistral a Rusia por parte de Francia, lo que según ellos desequilibraría enormemente las fuerzas militares de la zona. Estos países ya han emitido su queja a Francia.
___________________________________________________________________________________
NATO air forces will conduct an exercise later this month over the Baltic states. The training over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia will involve French Mirage 2000 and Polish F-16 fighters and U.S. aerial tankers.
NATO has kept a rotating detachment of fighter jets for air policing duties in the Baltics since the three countries joined the alliance in 2004. None of them possess the fast jets. Relations between NATO and Moscow were frozen after Russia's 2008 war with Georgia, but have improved significantly under the Obama administration, which has sought to enlist Russia's assistance in the escalating war in Afghanistan.
The improvement, however, has put Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on edge, for they see neighboring Russia as a regional security threat and they were particularly alarmed recently by the possible sale of up to four French 20,000-ton French Mistral-class command and control helicopter carriers to the Russian navy, which would greatly enhance its ability to project power.
The Latvian and Lithuanian defense ministers have both complained to France over the Mistral sale. Military analysts in the three nations have said the vessels would change the balance of power in the region.