Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire July 14, 2017 Friday 1:16 PM MSK State Duma ratifies agreement with Armenia on joint group of forces MOSCOW. July 14 The State Duma on Friday ratified the Russian-Armenian agreement on a joint group of forces submitted by President Vladimir Putin. The agreement was signed in Moscow on November 30, 2016. "The joint group of forces will be tasked with providing military security in the Caucasian collective security zone," the explanatory note to the instrument of ratification said. The joint group of forces will comprise commands and troops of Russia and Armenia to be deployed in the region in the period of a direct threat of aggression or at a time of war for deterring possible aggression, it said. The use of the joint group of forces will be planned in peace time on the basis of the joint directive of the Russian and Armenian general staffs, it said. The document sets the primary objectives of the group, such as "uncovering, in a timely fashion, preparations for an armed attack [aggression] on Russia and Armenia within the limits of the region and its deterrence." In addition, the group will protect the land border between the two countries and assist in the protection of airspace. A decision to deploy and use the joint group of forces will be made jointly by the supreme commanders-in-chief of the Russian and Armenian armies, the document said. The five-year agreement may be automatically extended for further five-year periods, the document said. "The implementation of this agreement is fully in the interests of Russia; it will bolster the security of the two countries and will not require additional allocations from the federal budget," the explanatory note said. te ng ar