Agreement between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia on co-operation in the field of defence

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, hereinafter refereed to as “the Parties”,

• Guided by the wish to strengthen mutual relations between their Ministries of Defence in the letter and spirit of the Charter of the UN and the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Paris Charter and the Vienna Document 1992 and other relevant OSCE-documents,

• in fulfilment of the co-operation taking place within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council,

• striving to participate in the building of democracy, peace and unity by use of mechanisms of co-operation on the whole European continent,

• recognising that it will enhance security between European states and thus the security of Europe as a whole,

• recognising the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as a pillar of stability and security,

• aiming at a strengthening of peaceful co-operation and stability in Europe,

• desiring to complement and reinforce co-operation undertaken within the framework of the Partnership for Peace,

• expressing the wish to develop mutual trust through the co-operation of the Ministries of Defence of both countries and their armed forces,

have reached the following understanding:

Article 1

1. This Agreement establishes the framework for co-operation in the field of defence between the Ministries of Defence and Armed Forces of the Parties as follows:

a) Organisational and procedural aspect of activities of Ministries of Defence and Armed Forces in the process of developing democratically controlled, responsible and effectively managed armed forces,

b) bilateral dialogue and exchange of ideas in the field of defence, defence concepts, security and arms control,

c) exchange of experience in the field of training of troops, military education, administration and management of personnel,

d) exchange of ideas in the field of co-operation between military and civilian authorities,

e) exchange of ideas, education and training in the field of particle aspect of peace-keeping,

f) co-operation and exchange of experience in the planning, construction and maintenance of buildings.

2. Detailed issues of co-operation in the fields specified in paragraph 1 of this Article can be defined accurately by the Parties in the form of additional protocols to this Agreement.

3. The co-operation may take place either through the exchange of personnel or by the exchange of information.

Article 2

1. Relations in the field of defence co-operation will be based on mutually agreed events. Both Parties can make concrete proposals, which will be exchanged through the appropriate military diplomatic channels.

2. Based on these proposals the Parties will develop an Annual programme on co-operation, which will be signed by authorised representatives of the Parties not later than 15 November of the current year. The annual programme may be amended at any time with mutual consent of both Parties.

Article 3

While staying on the territory of the Hosting Party, the status of the representatives of the Sending Party will be governed by the Agreement among the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and the Other States Participating in the Partnership for Peace Regarding the Status of Their Forces and its Protocol.

Article 4

1. For the purposes of co-operation the Sending Party will bear the following expenses:

a) travel costs to and from the Hosting Party;

b) insurance costs of members of delegation, including non-emergency medical insurance

2. The Hosting Party will bear the following expenses:

a) costs of accommodation and meals;

b) costs of travelling within its territory;

c) costs of emergency medical care.

Article 5

1. The Parties shall guarantee the protection of information and data made available to them in bilateral contacts in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in each of the states.

2. The Parties hereto agree not to use the information they receive to the detriment of the interests of the other Party and shall not submit such information to third Parties without prior written consent from the Party that collected and made available such information and data.

Article 6

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the day of notification by both Parties through diplomatic channels that all internal legal requirements for its entry into force have been completed.

2. This Agreement is concluded for unlimited period of time. It may be terminated by any Party by giving 6 months notice to the other Party.

3. This Agreement may be amended at any time with the consent of both Parties. Amendments will be in writing.

4. Any dispute arising out of the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement will be resolved by the Parties through negotiations and will be not referred to any third Party for settlement.

In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, have signed this Agreement.

Done at Ljubljana on 17 April, 2002 in duplicate in the Latvian, Slovenian and English language, all three texts equally authentic. In case of different interpretation of this Agreement the English text will prevail.