A couple of warships plus a support vessel from the Black Sea Fleet will be contributed on a rotating basis, ministry spokespeople say.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier that Russian participation in NATO's Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean would be yet another step in the development of anti-terrorist cooperation between this country and the trans-Atlantic alliance.
The agreement on Russia's involvement was reached at the Russia-NATO Council's Istanbul session in the summer of 2004.
In keeping with the agreement, two Black Sea Fleet patrol ships trained alongside NATO counterparts near the Italian naval base Taranto in late November this year. The objective of that exercise was to prepare Russian naval forces for participation in Operation Active Endeavor.
Later on, Russian and NATO officials held consultations to discuss related draft letters. These letters were subsequently signed by the Foreign Ministers of NATO's member nations and Russia at a Russia-NATO Council session.
