Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland on Co-operation in the Field of Defence

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland, in the following referred to as the "Participants",

Referring to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as the principles of the Organization on Security and Co-operation in Europe, particularly the inviolability of borders, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and peaceful resolution of disputes,

Endorsing the objectives of democratic accountability, transparency in defence planning, programming and budgeting, and legitimate civilian control of military establishments,

Desiring to complement and reinforce co-operation undertaken within the framework of the Partnership for Peace,

Emphasising that such co-operation is important to promoting peace and security in Europe and is not directed against the interests of any other country.

Recognising the importance of dialogue,

Have decided as follows:

Section 1

General

1.The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is to establish the framework for co-operation in areas of mutual interests between the Participants.

Section 2

Fields of Co-operation

1. Relations in the field of military co-operation between the Participants may include any area within their competence, and in particular:

a) defence policy and military aspects of security policy;

b) military and civilian personnel training and skills improvement;

c) logistics structure of defence system and financial matters;

d) air forces, naval forces, military medicine, environmental protection, military geography, military history, military sport;

e) other fields of mutual interest.

2. The Participants recognise that all provisions in this MoU will be carried out in accordance with their respective national laws, regulations and procedures.

Section 3

Forms of Co-operation

1.Co-operation between the Participants will take place through the following activities:

a) bilateral talks and consultations on current issues of mutual interest;

b) seminars and conferences on specific topics of common interests;

c) participation for training purposes in various kinds of educational arrangements, e.g. military educational establishments or units;

d) reciprocal visits between Ministries of Defence and armed forces.

2. In Annual programme of co-operation, referred to in paragraph 2 of Section 4 the Participants may agree on any other form of activity, not mentioned in paragraph 1 of this Section.

Section 4

Annual programme on Co-operation

1. Relations in the field of military co-operation will be based on mutually agreed events. Both Participants can make concrete proposals, which will be exchanged through the appropriate military diplomatic channels.

2. Based on these proposals the Participants will develop an Annual programme on co-operation, which will be signed by authorised representatives of the Participants. The annual programme may be amended at any time with mutual consent of both Participants.

3. The Annual programme will contain information concerning title of the event, time and place of execution and numbers of the representatives. If necessary, the authorised representative of the Participants may agree to include any additional information in the Annual programme.

4. The authorised representative of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia is Department of International Relations as represented by the Director of the Department of International Relations.

5.The authorised representative of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland is Defence Policy Department as represented by the Director of the Department of Defence Policy..

Section 5

Financial issues

Each Participant shall bear its own costs related to the implementation of this MoU. The Hosting Participant will bear the expenses of accommodation, meals and travelling within its territory.

Section 6

Jurisdiction

While staying on the territory of the Hosting Participant, the status of the representatives of the Sending Participant will be governed by the Agreement among the States Parties to the North Atlantic Treaty and the Other States Participating in the Partnership for Peace Regarding the Status of Their Forces and its Protocol.

Section 7

Protection of information

All classified information exchanged by the Participants in connection with the implementation of this MoU, will be protected in accordance with the respective national laws, regulations and procedures of the parties to the extent that they provide a degree of protection no less stringent than set forth in the document security within NATO C-M(55)15 Final.

Section 8

Final Provisions

1. This MoU enters into force on date when it has been signed by both Participants.

2. This MoU is concluded for unlimited period of time. It may be terminated by any Participant by giving 6 months notice to the other Participant.

3. This MoU may be amended at any time with the consent of both Participants. Amendments will be in writing.

4. Any dispute arising out of the interpretation or implementation of this MoU will be resolved by the Participants through negotiations and will be not referred to any third party for settlement.

In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, have signed this MoU.

Done at Turku on 9 June 2001 in 2 duplicates in the English language.

For the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis

For the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Finland Jan-Erik Enestam