Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Admiral Vladimir Masorin is the commander of the cruise.
"The detachment of Black Sea Fleet combat vessels consists of the flagship of the fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, the Smetlivy destroyer, the Azov large ASW destroyer, the Ivan Bubnov tanker and the SB-36 rescue tug," the fleet reported. "The detachment arrived at port Taranto, an Italian naval base, the port of Taranto. The Ioniecs 2004 joint Russian-Italian naval exercises begin there today. It will last until September 20, 2004."
Members of the crew and the commanders of the ships paid protocol visits to the military and civilian authorities of Taranto.
Commander of the Ionian naval district Admiral Francesco Ricci said he was "very glad to see Russian ships visiting Italy. Our country is paying a great deal of attention to this event, especially in Taranto, where practically all of its history is linked with the Navy."
Mayor Rosanna Di Bello of Taranto stressed that "the cooperation of our sailors is the basis for strengthening our peoples' friendship. It is very meaningful that Russian naval vessels are visiting Taranto the first time, and I, as the daughter of a naval officer, see this as a good sign."
Admiral Vladimir Masorin said: "We are holding this exercise, because we recognize that terrorism now poses one of the most serious threats to the world. During Ioniecs 2004 exercises, our ships will practice interception operations. These operations are designed to prevent illegal actions at sea, and include the inspection and seizure of a craft, as well as actions to protect shipping. The international maritime manuals, English and universal coordinated time will be used during the exercise."
The representatives of Italy expressed their condolences to the Russian sailors about the events that occurred in Beslan.
