Itar-Tass, Russia
Feb 13 2009

Russia to set up joint air defence system with Armenia – CSTO head

Moscow, 13 February: Russia will set up a joint air defence system
with Armenia, the secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization, Nikolay Bordyuzha, told journalists today in Moscow.

"We suppose that the joint air defence system of Armenia and Russia
will be set up in the near future," Bordyuzha said.

"We suppose that the joint air defence system of Russia and Belarus
currently being created is part of ensuring security of the air
borders of the CSTO member states and only the first stage of setting
up three regional air defence systems: Eastern European, Central Asian
and Caucasian regions," Bordyuzha said.

He added that "after that we will move to a more serious stage when
the coordination of all regional systems will begin and unified rules
will be developed for exchanging defence system information and
everything related to the need to set up a common air defence system".