MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Jens Stoltenberg arrived in the Spanish eastern Zaragoza province located in the community of Aragon earlier in the day to attend a military demonstration and parachute airdrop by a US airborne division as part of the NATO Trident Juncture military drills.
"They hope that his [Stoltenberg's] arrival will be perceived by Zaragoza as a reason to be proud of the arrival of the empire's envoy. His visit, they say, will put us on the map. How important we are! Now everyone knows that here those who invade countries, massacring villages and plundering natural resources are being trained," the Zaragoza anti-NATO Platform said in a statement on its web site.
"No criminal should walk smiling and unpunished, in our city or anywhere else. We can not allow it and will provide those who offer us miserable allowances in exchange for death and destruction with the welcome they deserve. Let's take it to the streets to say loud and clear 'Mister Stoltenberg, GO HOME!!,'" the platform declared.
The military alliance is showcasing its preparedness in the October 21 — November 3 active phase of the Trident drills taking place in Spain, Italy, and Portugal, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Over 36,000 troops, 140 aircraft, 90 vessels and submarines from the 30 members and partner countries of the bloc are involved in what is the largest NATO exercise in over a decade.