Russia calls Estonian/NATO air base plan destabilizing 'provocation'

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian foreign ministry on Tuesday called plans by Estonia to expand its Amari air base to make more room for NATO aircraft a provocation. The ministry said it was reacting to a statement from the Estonian airforce that it intended to expand Amari, where NATO bases some of its planes that patrol the Baltic to ensure Russian military planes steer clear of the area. "In the light of constant speculation about the need for the military alliance (NATO) and in particular the United States to deploy extra military forces on its 'eastern flank' we view these preparations as an openly provocative step aimed at destabilizing the situation," the ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Andrew Osborn)