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Duma ratifies Russian-Belarusian agreement on cooperation in space

The agreement contains a separate provision on the protection of intellectual rights

MOSCOW, November 24 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s State Duma has ratified an intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Belarus on cooperation in the peaceful use or orbital space.

Dmitry Sablin, first deputy chairman of the Duma committee for the CIS, told reporters the document is called upon “to pool the two countries’ efforts in the implementation of bilateral space projects.”

Under provisions of the agreement, “Russia and Belarus will have an opportunity to design joint programs of training the personnel, exchanging specialists, using ground facilities and the system of control over space objects.”

The document spells out the areas where the two sides are going to cooperate. These include exploration of outer space, remote sounding of the Earth, designing of spacecraft and orbital delivery vehicles, designing and manufacturing of equipment linked to activity in space, the setting-up and development of ground infrastructures, the launching of space probes and research satellites, collaboration in the sphere of satellite navigation systems and technologies, space medicine, biology, and protection of orbital environment.

The agreement contains a separate provision on the protection of intellectual rights. It prohibits the transfer of the results of joint activity, including confidential information to third parties.

Dmitry Sablin said that the Duma’s decision to ratify the agreement “aims to support the Russian aerospace industry and to consolidate this country’s positions on the global market of space services.”