Federation Council approves Russia-Italy military cargo transit agreement
MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax) - The Federation Council approved on Wednesday the ratification of the Russian-Italian intergovernmental agreement on railroad transit of Italian armaments, munitions, military hardware and personnel to Afghanistan across Russia.
The document was signed in Sochi on December 3, 2010, to lay down the transit rules.
"Russia has the right to deny permission of transit if transportation of cargo and personnel fails to be consistent with the goals of the agreement and may present a threat to Russian national security," says an explanatory note to the document.
The document says that Italian servicemen and civilian staff will temporary fall under the Russian jurisdiction with the exception of cases defined by international laws. Russia shall not levy customs duties or transit fees, while Italy shall bear transit expenditures.
Transit operations will be performed under general or one-time permits issued by Russian relevant authorities. The Federation Council thinks the document meets the Russian commitment of interstate cooperation in the suppression of terrorism and assists in cargo transit of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
