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Russian army inspectors to check Lithuanian military unit

Xinhua, August 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Russian arm inspectors are to visit one of Lithuanian military units on Aug. 4, announced Lithuanian defense ministry on Monday.

A group of inspectors will carry out an assessment at Lithuanian motorized Infantry brigade Iron wolf, announced the ministry.

"The chief of the brigade Iron wolf will inform Russian representatives on the number of personnel in the unit, the number and the types of the unit's armament and equipment, he will allow inspecting its examples as well," said the defense ministry in a press release.

The assessment of the brigade will be carried out under the Vienna Document. An agreement which was signed by OSCE members and designed to increase military transparency and confidence among member countries stipulates an exchange of military information and annual military inspections.

"Following the 2011 Vienna Document provisions and the data received during the inspection, Russian Federation arm inspectors will make an assessment report and publish it via official OSCE channels," said the ministry.

Under the Vienna Document, Lithuania is obliged to allow one assessment visit and three inspections in its territory every year.

Russian arm inspectors carried out their latest assessment visit in Lithuania in 2013, while the latest inspection has been carried out late July in Central Lithuania.

"Since the start of Lithuania's NATO membership, mostly Russian and Belarusian arm inspectors' groups have been visiting the country's military units," said the ministry.

Meanwhile Lithuanian officials won't inspect Russia's military units this year.

"All the quotas have been used up already in February, since 57 countries claim for the visits," Lieutenant Colonel Linas Kubilius, head of the Arms Control Unit of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, told news website delfi.lt.

The Vienna Document framework is the only option for Lithuania and Russia to exchange military cooperation.

In May 2014 Russia unilaterally suspended the 2001 bilateral Lithuanian-Russian agreement on additional confidence and security building measures amid tensions in the Eastern Europe. Endit