"On the basis of the Vienna Document of 1999, every member of the OSCE has the right to arrange inspections in the territory of any other OSCE member to check whether the other OSCE member does not carry out illegal military activities it has to inform in advance and whether it does not have undeclared military capabilities," the ministry said in a statement.
The Vienna Document 1999 binds OSCE states to annually provide information about their armed forces, plans of developing defense capabilities and defense budget, and notify in advance about planned military activities. Parties to the agreement also commit to accept a set number of inspections from other countries in their territory per year.
It's the third Lithuanian inspection this year based on the Vienna Document amended in 2011. Lithuanian arms control inspectors have paid a visit to Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan together with Canadian experts. Lithuania has also received Belarusian arms control inspectors who carried out inspection in the area of international exercise BALTOPS-2012.
2012 09 21
Lithuanian army inspector visiting Russian army units as part of US delegation
An inspector from the Arms Control Division of the Lithuanian Armed Forces is taking part in area inspection of Russian army units together with US inspectors based on the Vienna Document, Lithuania's Ministry of national Defense informs.
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