US, Russian coastal guards sing cooperation agreement

28.09.2011 08:00:39 (GMT+12)

The North-eastern border department of the Russian Federal Security Service’s Coastal Guard and 17th District of the United States Coastal Guard on Wednesday signed a cooperation agreement, spokesman for the Russian North-eastern border department Andrei Orlov told Itar-Tass.

According to the spokesman, the agreement provides for cooperation in ensuring security and legality in the Convention Areas of the Bering Sea, northern sections of the Pacific and along sea delimitation lines between Russia and the United States in 2011-2012.

The document was signed by commander of the 17th District of the United States Coastal Guard Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo and commander of the North-eastern border department of the Russian Federal Security Service’s Coastal Guard Lieutenant General Rafael Deyerbayev.

Under the agreement, the two services will carry out joint and alternate sea patrolling missions, joint operations and drills, and exchange information on the fishing situation and poacher ships.

A group of senior officers from the 17th District of the United States Coastal Guard led by District Commander Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo arrived to Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka territory on September 19. The visit’s basic goal is to sum up the 2010-2011 cooperation results and discuss further joint steps.

The U.S. officers will stay in Russia till September.

Border services and coastal guards of the two countries have been maintaining contacts since 1990-1992.

(Itar-Tass).