Russia-US deal on military transit comes into effect in 2 months

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Itar-Tass) - The agreement on U.S. military
transit to Afghanistan through Russia, signed between Moscow and
Washington, will come into effect in two months, spokesman for the U.S.
Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) Kevin Andal told Tass on Tuesday. He
said the agreement comes into effect 60 days after being signed.
He said the American side is grateful for this agreement, which gives
U.S. Armed Forces additional possibilities of transit in the efforts to
ensure security, stabilization and reconstruction in Afghanistan.
The spokesman confirmed that under the agreement, U.S.
military-transport aircraft can make 4,500 flights a year to Afghanistan
over Russia. The agreement puts no such restrictions on commercial flights
with an aim to transport American military cargoes and military to
Afghanistan across Russia, he specified.
The U.S. and Russia made an agreement on military transit to
Afghanistan in Moscow last week. It was signed by Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns.
The agreement calls for 4,500 flights a year and supplements the
previous agreement on non-military transit.
The agreement will enable the U.S. to further diversify the crucial
transportation routes and decrease the amount of time needed to move
troops and critical equipment to re-supply international forces in
Afghanistan and to bring needed supplies to the government and people of
Afghanistan. This will permit 4,500 flights per year. The new transit
routes will save the United States government up to 133 million U.S.
dollars annually in fuel, maintenance and other transportation costs, and
this agreement is free of any air navigation charges. By providing access
to these transit routes, the Russian Federation is enabling a substantial
increase in the efficiency of our common effort to defeat the forces of
violent extremism in Afghanistan and to ensure Afghanistan's and the
broader region's security, the White House said.
Conflict and instability in Afghanistan are a threat to the region and
the world. The growing flow of narcotics from Afghanistan threatens the
well-being of Europe and Central Asia, and provides a source of lucrative
funding for terrorists and criminals throughout the region, it said.
The Russian Federation's decision to open these valuable transit
routes supplements its already robust airlift support and provision of
commodities to Coalition efforts in Afghanistan, and further illustrates
that Russia is a valuable member of the international coalition supporting
the security, stability, and reconstruction of Afghanistan, the White
House statement said.