Russian Federation signs Facility Agreement

The Government of the Russian Federation signed a Facility Agreement with the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on 22 March 2005. The Agreement will be provisionally applied as of the date of signature. In accordance with Article 24 of the Agreement, it will enter into force "upon receipt by the Commission of notification that the internal procedures required for the entry into force have been completed by the Russian Party". The Facility Agreement was signed by Mr. Wolfgang Hoffmann, Executive Secretary, on behalf of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, and by Colonel-General Anatoly I. Mazurkovich, on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation. The Facility Agreement grants the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO the legal authority to carry our work on facilities of the International Monitoring System (IMS) on the territory of the Russian Federation. Thirty-two facilities are covered by the Agreement: six primary seismic stations (Khabaz, PS32; Zalesovo, PS33; Norilsk, PS34; Peleduy, PS35; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, PS36; and Ussuriysk, PS37), 13 auxiliary seismic stations (Kirov, AS82; Kislovodsk, AS83; Obninsk, AS84; Arti, AS85; Seymchan, AS86; Talaya, AS87; Yakutsk, AS88; Urgal, AS89; Bilibino, AS90; Tiksi, AS91; Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, AS92; Magadan, AS93 and Zilim, AS94), eight radionuclide stations (Kirov, RN54; Norilsk, RN55; Peleduy, RN56; Bilibino, RN57; Ussuriysk, RN58; Zalesovo, RN59; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, RN60 and Dubna, RN61), four infrasound stations (Dubna, IS43; Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, IS44; Ussuriysk, IS45 and Zalesovo, IS46) and one radionuclide laboratory (Moscow, RL13). To date, the total number of Facility Agreements/Arrangements concluded is 32, out of which 24 have entered into force and 2 are being provisionally applied.