Russian President Medvedev signs law on U.S. military transit to Afghanistan

Russian President Medvedev signs law on U.S. military transit to Afghanistan

2011-03-10 02:33:41 GMT+7 (ICT)

MOSCOW, RUSSIA (BNO NEWS) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday signed a law that ratifies the Russia-U.S. agreement on military transit to Afghanistan, RIA Novosti reported.

The agreement will allow United States military transit to Afghanistan via Russia in order to facilitate the U.S.-NATO operation in the Asian country. Russia has signed similar agreements with a number of NATO countries, including Germany.

In February, Russia and Italy signed an intergovernmental agreement on the air transit of military equipment via Russia to Afghanistan. The Russian government said that the pact was approved in order to support international efforts to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan.

"We are creating a legal base to ensure that our colleagues can accomplish without any problem the important mission that they are carrying out [n Afghanistan, to reinforce their contingents with supplies," said Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko.

In December 2010, Medvedev ratified the Russia-France intergovernmental agreement on the transit of military equipment and personnel to the troubled Asian nation.The pact established that French aircraft with weapons and military equipment flying through Russian airspace are to make a mandatory stopover landing on Russian soil.

In mid-November of 2009, the Russian government approved an agreement with NATO to carry supplies to and from Afghanistan via Russian territory, including transit of NATO armored vehicles.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) currently has approximately 140,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, 97,000 of them are U.S. troops. President Barack Obama said that the withdrawal of troops from the country will begin in July next year.

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