MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax-AVN) - The State Duma defense committee has recommended that the lower house of parliament ratify the protocol approving the Statute on the Order of Arranging and Conducting Joint Anti-Terrorist Operations on the Territories of CIS Nations.
"The protocol, which the defense committee has recommended for ratification, introduces the possibility of holding anti- terrorist operations on the territory of nations signatories by special-purpose formations of another nation," committee chairman Viktor Zavarzin told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
Thus, agents of a nation signatory to the protocol will be able to hold an anti-terrorist operation on the Russian territory. Russian law-enforcement agencies will also be allowed to hold special operations on the territory of other countries signatories, in case of necessity, Zavarzin said.
He recalled that the protocol was signed in Chisinau on October 2, 2002 by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan (with a special opinion), Belarus, Georgia (with provisos), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine.
Under the statute, anti-terrorist operations will be held by competent bodies of the parties on a single coordinated concept and plan, Zavarzin noted.