Azerbaijani border guard forces complete exercises in Caspian
BAKU. April 19. KAZINFORM The border guard forces of Azerbaijan have completed a one-week tactical exercise for protecting the energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan said in a bulletin on Wednesday.
The exercises, theme of which was set as "Security of oil and gas regions, export pipelines in the islands situated in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea, ensuring security of oil and gas platforms in case of threat and carrying out rescue operations", started on April 12.
Some 21 ships, 20 fast launches and boats, eight helicopters and about 1,200 soldiers were involved in the exercises, which were held in three stages.
Nine tactical episodes were successfully realized in the exercises. Anti-aircraft artillery, large-caliber machine-guns and various missiles were used in the exercise.
The Caspian Sea region has become a central focal point for oil and natural gas resources, which is estimated to be worth over a dozen trillions dollars, Xinhua reports.
In Azerbaijan, many oil and gas platforms, pipelines are located near the Caspian sea shore. The five Caspian littoral countries -- Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran -- haven't yet solved the disagreement about the status of the Caspian Sea and the establishment of the water boundaries.
Read more English.news.cn