Commander of Russian missile cruiser Varyag meets Philippine Navy chief in Manila

VLADIVOSTOK, April 21. /TASS/. The commander of Russia’s guided missile cruiser Varyag, which made a port call at Manila, has met with the Philippine Navy commander, the Pacific Fleet’s spokesman, Navy Capt. 2nd Rank Vladimir Matveyev, said Friday. The task force of the Pacific Fleet, comprising the Varyag missile cruiser and the Pechenga sea tanker, arrived on a four-day friendly visit to the Philippines Thursday. The task force is led by Capt. 2nd Rank Alexei Ulyanenko. "As part of the Pacific Fleet task force’s visit to the port of Manila, the Varyag Commanding Officer with a group of Russian officers paid a goodwill visit to the Philippine Navy commander Francisco Gabidao. The meeting was held in a warm, friendly atmosphere," Matveyev said. The ships departed on a long ocean voyage from their home port of Vladivostok on April 1. During the journey, the ships will pay seven unofficial and business visits to foreign ports. The main objective of the voyage is to demonstrate the Russian Navy’s St. Andrew’s flag in the Asia-Pacific region and further develop military and naval cooperation with the countries in that region. Earlier, the Varyag and the Pechenga made a port call in the South Korean city of Busan. Read more