Russia and Armenia to establish joint combat group
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Russia and Armenia to establish joint combat group –
(RusVesna) – A unified Russian-Armenian combat force is going to be established in the Caucasus region of the collective security zone. This is set forth by a draft agreement that has been submitted by the government to be signed by the President of Russia.
The combat group, as noted in the text of the agreement, is being created “with the aim of ensuring the security of the [two] sides in the Caucasus region.” The agreement will be valid for 5 years and automatically renewed if none of the parties express desire to abandon it.
The main tasks of the group have been named as the deflection of an armed attack on either of the two countries as well as protecting the state borders of Russia and Armenia.
The commander of the grouping is appointed by the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Armenia in agreement with the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Russia. The directives of the operational command for the group’s commander are produced by the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District and the operational directorate of the General Staff of Armenia, after which the commanders are appointed by both sides.
During peacetime, the commander of the group is subordinated to the General Staff of Armenia, but during war time, in line with agreement between both parties, the commander can be subordinated to Russia’s Southern Military District.