On February 13, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. The Head of State Alexander Lukashenko approved the Agreement between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on joint protection of the external border of the Union State in the airspace and the creation of a Unified Regional Air Defence System of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation (URS AD). The corresponding decree No. 65 was signed by the President on February 13, BelTA was informed by the press service of the Head of State. This agreement was signed on February 3, 2009, by the Ministers of Defence in accordance with the powers granted by the Heads of State. It creates military-political conditions for increasing the reliability of the protection and defence of the western borders of the Union State, and the quality of control over compliance with the rules for the use of the airspace of Belarus and Russia in the region. The implementation of the agreement will allow equipping the troops (forces) of the URS AD with armaments and military equipment based on a unified military-technical policy, and developing unified requirements for the combat readiness and training of troops (forces), and the organisation of their operational and combat training. In a period of threat and in wartime, part of the forces and assets of the URS AD will be used as part of the regional grouping of troops (forces) of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. The Regulation on the URS AD, attached to the agreement, defines the main tasks, principles of formation and application of this system. The URS will be headed by a commander who, after the agreement enters into force, will be appointed to this position by the decision of the Presidents of Belarus and Russia. -0-

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