MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying an agreement with Belarus for the establishment and operation of combat training centers for the joint training of military personnel.

The agreement was signed on March 28, 2023 in Minsk. It spells out the procedure for cooperation between the parties in the establishment and operation of combat training centers, which are designed for joint training of Russian and Belarusian servicemen, preparing them for combat duty and improving their level of combat skills.

According to the document, such centers will be opened on the basis of joint decisions of the defense ministries of the two countries, which will determine the scope of their activity, composition, structure, number, location, conditions of their formation and the procedures for their functioning. The personnel of the military contingents will wear the uniforms and insignia established in the national armed forces during the performance of joint tasks as part of the combat training center, unless the authorized bodies of the parties decide otherwise.

The organization of the daily activities of the center in terms of combat training, service, guard duty, and internal services will be entrusted to the commander of the military unit on the basis of which it is formed and will be coordinated with the defense ministry of the sending party. In addition, the agreement stipulates that the host party will provide the military contingent with the necessary premises free of charge, and technical and airfield support for the center will also be provided free of charge by the forces and means of the host party.

At the same time, the repair of weapons and military and special equipment and vehicles, and their maintenance, will be carried out by the relevant organizations of the country to which they belong. In this connection, the agreement does not prohibit the involvement of industrial enterprises located in the host country on a contract basis, unless the authorized bodies jointly decide otherwise.

Admission to military facilities, state secrets

Under the agreement, the admission of representatives of the sending party to military facilities or enterprises of the military-industrial complex shall be carried out in accordance with the procedure established by the legislation of the receiving party, unless otherwise provided by international treaties to which Russia and Belarus are parties.

The procedure for exchange, conditions and measures for protection of information constituting a state secret of Russia and Belarus during the implementation and after the termination of this agreement shall be determined by other bilateral agreements.

Changes in regional security treaty

Putin also signed the law on ratification of the Protocol on Amendments to the Russian-Belarusian Agreement on Joint Provision of Regional Security in the Military Sphere of December 19, 1997. The protocol was signed in Minsk on December 3, 2022 due to the loss of relevance of certain provisions of the agreement.

In particular, the amendments clarify the implementation of the provisions of the regulatory legal documents on bilateral cooperation within the framework of ensuring the military security of the Russia-Belarus Union State, as well as the procedure for joint planning, the use of the regional grouping of the troops of Belarus and Russia, and the financing of joint actions for operational, mobilizational and combat training.