Parliamentarians Ratify Bill on Amending Belarus-Russia Intergovernmental Agreement on Establishing Defence Systems IFIG

At a meeting of the House of Representatives of the sixth convocation on 13 June 2017, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian State Military Industrial Committee Gennady Smolsky spoke on the draft law “On Ratification of the Protocol on Amendments and Additions to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Establishment of the Defence Systems Interstate Financial and Industrial Group dated 11 February 2000”.
The Protocol amends the Agreement between Belarus and Russia on the establishment of the Defence Systems interstate financial and industrial group (IFIG). The amendments are necessary for Armenia’s accession to the Agreement. The Protocol also provides for simplification of the procedure for other countries’ accession to the IFIG.
The Protocol seeks to strengthen existing and establish new cooperation ties among defence industries of the parties to the Agreement, to increase the efficiency of use of scientific-technical, production, maintenance and investment potential of the participants of Defence Systems IFIG in the field of activities (services) on the development and production of high-tech and competitive military products, as well as repair and modernisation of military equipment.
The Defence Systems interstate financial and industrial group was established on the basis of the Russian President’s Decree No. 10-rp of 21 January 2000, the Russian Government’s Resolution No. 70 of 26 January 2000, and the Agreement between the governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus of 11 February 2000.
Defence Systems IFIG includes a number of Russian and Belarusian industrial companies and design bureaus of the defence industry, which, in accordance with the Agreement, vested Russian JSC Defence Systems with powers of the central company in the Group.
From the Belarusian side, members of Defence Systems IFIG and participants in the production cooperation are the Minsk Wheel Tractor Plant, ALEVKURP, the 2566 Radioelectronic Armament Repair Plant, and Belarusbank.
Belarusian company VOLATAVTO actively cooperates with Defence Systems IFIG (the company carries out a number of contracts for the development and production of platforms for chassis).

Translated by Olga Klevko