President Vladimir Putin has approved a government proposal on creating joint Russian and Armenian military forces, the Interfax news agency reported. One of the joint forces' main tasks will be to cover Russia and Armenia's land borders and work within the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a regional military alliance of post-Soviet states.
According to a presidential decree, Putin has ordered the Russian Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to hold talks with Armenia on reaching an agreement.
The two sides are creating a joint command, whose leader will be appointed by the Supreme Commander of the Armenian Armed Forces in agreement with the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. During peacetime, the commander of the joint forces will be subordinate to Armenia's military Chief of Staff. During wartime, he will be subordinate to the commander of Russia's southern military district or the Armenian Chief of Staff, depending on the situation and the decision of both militaries' chief commanders.
The military cooperation project was proposed by the Defense Ministry with the agreement of the Foreign Ministry and other interested federal agencies.
