Reducing risks from military incidents discussed at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation

The importance of co-operation to prevent military incidents during peacetime was the topic of the session of the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), currently under Russia’s Chairmanship, on 24 May 2017. The discussion focused on the Russian Federation’s national experience in the implementation of bilateral agreements on preventing incidents on and over the high seas.

Sergei Khabibullin, Chief of Branch in the Russian Ministry of Defence’s Main Directorate for International Military Co-operation explained how the successful implementation of the Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1972, led to Russia signing similar bilateral agreements with 13 other countries between 1972 and 2004. He noted that 12 of them are OSCE participating States and two are Partners for Co-operation.

“The meetings held within the framework of the implementation of the agreements help to increase confidence, better understand each other's intentions and develop and discuss measures to improve the agreements,” Khabibullin said.

Stressing the importance of dialogue in reducing the risk of military incidents, Khabibullin added that further work in this area is aimed in particular at extending the provisions of the agreements to unmanned aerial vehicles and ships.