With the aim of furthering the implementation of the CFE Treaty and documents related to it, the Azerbaijan Republic, the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Georgian Republic declare the following:

l. The Azerbaijan Republic, the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Georgian Republic confirm their adherence to the provisions of the Declaration of the States Parties to the CFE treaty with regard to personnel strength.

2. The Azerbaijan Republic, the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Georgian Republic adhere to the provisions of the Declaration of the States Parties to the CFE Treaty with regard to land-based naval aircraft and recognize that the number of permanently land-based naval combat aircraft, specified in paragraph l of the Declaration, refers to the Russian Federation and Ukraine, with the Russian Federation having not more than 300 combat aircraft in the area of application of the Treaty, and Ukraine not more than l00 combat aircraft.

3. The Russian Federation shall fulfill the provisions of the Statement of the Representative of the USSR in the Joint Consultative Group of l4 June l99l with regard to armaments and equipment, withdrawn beyond the area of application in the period before the signing of the Treaty.

4. Taking account of the politically-binding nature of the documents referred to in paragraphs l, 2, and 3 of this Statement, the obligations that arise from these paragraphs have a politically binding nature.

5. The Azerbaijan Republic, the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Georgian Republic confirm that all decisions taken previously within the framework of the Joint Consultative Group are binding on all these states.

6. Done in Tashkent this 15th day of May 1992 in one original copy in the Russian language. The original copy shall be held in the archives of the Government of the Republic of Belarus, which will send a certified copy to all States that have signed this Statement, and to the Depositary and the States Parties of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe.

7. On the principles and procedures for implementing the CFE Treaty the Azerbaijan Republic, the Republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Moldova, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Georgian Republic as the successors of the USSR with regard to the CFE Treaty and documents related to it, henceforth called the Contracting Parties,

• confirming their adherence to the aims and tasks of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe,

• regarding the CFE Treaty of l9 November l990, henceforth called the Treaty, as one of the fundamental elements of the new security system in Europe,

• striving to achieve the consistent fulfillment of all obligations arising from the Treaty and related documents,

• taking account of the security interests of all Contracting Parties have agreed the following:

l. Each Contracting Party fully exercises the rights and fulfills the obligations provided for in the Treaty and related documents unless otherwise provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article.

2. The Russian Federation exercises the rights and fulfills the obligations of Treaty and related documents with regard to forces, and also conventional armaments and equipment, stationed on the territory of the Latvian and Lithuanian Republics, the Republic of Poland, the Federal German Republic and Estonian Republic, and subject to withdrawal to the territory of the Russian Federation, Contracting Party, the exercising of the rights and the fulfilling of the Treaty commitments is placed on this Contracting Party.

3. The Contracting Parties cooperate in exercising the rights and fulfilling the obligations arising from the Treaty and related documents.

l. Within the obligations, arising from the provisions of the Treaty, the following are laid down in the corresponding Protocols for each of the Contracting Parties:

a) maximum ceilings for holdings of conventional armaments and equipment.

b) the number of Mi-24R and Mi-24K helicopters, equipped for conducting reconnaissance, spotting or chemical/biological/radiological sampling, which are not subject to the limits on attack helicopters.

2. The maximum ceilings for holdings of conventional armaments and equipment, defined for each Contracting Party, does not exceed in total the maximum ceilings, laid down for the USSR in the Treaty and the Agreement on maximum ceilings for holdings of conventional armaments and equipment of the Peoples' Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian Republic, the Republics of Poland and Romania, the USSR and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in connection with the CFE Treaty of 3 November 1990.

3. The numbers of armaments and equipments, enumerated in subparagraphs b) and c) of paragraph l of this Article, do not exceed in total the ceilings and numbers, laid down in the Treaty and related documents, for the USSR.

4. After the Treaty takes effect the Contracting Parties will coordinate their efforts in matters of implementation of the Treaty and related documents, including questions of distributing maximum ceilings for holdings of armaments and equipment of each Party by the adherence to the provisions of the paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article, with the aim of ensuring regional, national and collective security in Europe.

l. The Contracting Parties adhere to the provisions of the Declaration of the Government of the USSR of l4 June l99l in the case of conventional armaments and equipment, relating to categories limited by the Treaty and located in the Coastal Defence, Naval Infantry and Strategic Rocket forces.

2. Within the obligations, arising out of the above-mentioned Declaration, the corresponding Protocol lays down for the Contracting Parties maximum ceilings for conventional armaments and equipment, relating to categories, limited by the Treaty, and located in the Coastal Defence, Naval Infantry and Strategic Rocket forces.

l. The Contracting Parties shall transmit to one another, by mutual agreement and in compliance with the reduction liability and other demands of the Treaty and associated documents, conventional armaments and equipment subject to reduction.

2. In order to achieve the optimum organization of the reduction process of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty and a decrease in reduction costs, the Contracting Parties shall jointly utilize reduction sites. The sequence of utilization of the reduction sites and reduced armaments and equipment shall be determined by the Contracting Parties on the basis of appropriate agreements.

l. The Contracting Parties shall cooperate as necessary on matters of the preparation and transmission of information and notification, stipulated in the Treaty and associated documents, during the period of its provisional application and after its entry into force.

2. The Contracting Parties affirm that the information on conventional armed forces declared on the signing of the Treaty by the Soviet Union, including technical information and photographs of conventional armaments and equipment shall remain in force.

3. The Contracting Parties, simultaneously with the transfer to the Depositary of the instruments of ratification of the Treaty, shall transmit to all other Participating States Parties notification, the provision of which is stipulated before the Treaty comes into force.

l. The Contracting Parties shall acknowledge that during the first l20 days after entry into force of the Treaty, their total passive quota of inspections shall not be less than the passive quota of the former Soviet Union, determined for it according to the data on the numbers of objects of verification notified in accordance with the Protocol on the Exchange of Information as at the time of signature of the Treaty.

2. The Contracting Parties shall cooperate in the implementation of inspection activities. They shall also cooperate in the formation of multi-national inspection teams for carrying out inspections on the territories of Participating States other than Contracting Parties.

l. At the proposal of any Contracting Party the Depositary of the Agreement shall convene consultations of all Contracting Parties for discussions connected with the implementation of this Agreement. Such consultations shall take place no later than l5 days after despatch of their notification to all Contracting Parties.

l. In the event of a withdrawal of a Contracting Party from the Treaty it shall cease to be a participant of the Agreement.

2. Each Contracting Party has the right to withdraw from the Agreement. A Contracting Party intending to withdraw from the Agreement shall notify, not less than 90 days before the proposed date of withdrawal, all other Contracting Parties of their intentions. The Depository of the Agreement, no later than 2l days after receipt of such a notification, shall convene consultations of Contracting Parties for the discussion of matters connected with such a withdrawal.

l. Nothing in the Agreement may be interpreted as infringing the sovereign rights of Contracting Parties including anything rising from bills passed by them concerning their governmental sovereignty and independence.

l. The following are an integral part of the Agreement: the Protocol on maximum levels for holdings of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty; the Protocol on armoured vehicle launched bridged in active units; the Protocol on the combat helicopters Mi-24R and Mi-24K which are not subject to the limits on attack helicopters; the Protocol on conventional armaments and equipment relating to the categories limited by the Treaty which are serving part of the Coastal Defence forces, Naval Infantry or Strategic Rocket forces.

l. Each Contracting Party, as a rightful successor to the Soviet Union, regarding the Treaty signed by the Soviet Union on 19 November 1990, is obliged as quickly as possible to ratify the Treaty and deposit instruments of ratification in the custody of the government of the Netherlands.

l. The Agreement is subject to ratification in accordance with the constitutional procedures of each Contracting Party simultaneously with ratification of the Treaty.

2. Documents on ratification of the Agreement are to be deposited in the custody of the Depositary.

3. The Agreement shall come into force 10 days after depositing with the Depositary the documents on ratification of the Agreement by all Contracting Parties and shall remain in force while the Treaty is in force.

4. The Agreement shall be registered in accordance with Article 102 of the United Nations Charter.

5. Completed in the city of Tashkent on 15 May 1992 in one example each of the Azerbaijan, Armenian, Belarussian, Kazakh, Moldova, Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian languages, all texts, however, carry equal authority. The original Agreement shall be held in the archives of the government or the Republic of Belarus which is appointed as the Depositary. Three copies of the Agreement shall be sent by the Depositary to Contracting Parties and to other States Parties of the Treaty.

1. Confirming all the commitments of the USSR as set forth in USSR government's declaration of 4 June 1991, regarding conventional armaments and equipment relating to categories limited by the Treaty in service with Coastal Defence forces, Naval Infantry and Strategic Rocket forces, the Contracting Parties agree to take on the responsibility for the implementation of the aforementioned declaration:

• Regarding conventional armaments and equipment in the Coastal Defence forces and Naval Infantry -- in the Russian Federation and Ukraine;

• Regarding conventional armaments and equipment (armoured personnel carriers) in the Strategic Rocket forces -- in Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.

2. On the territory of the Russian Federation and Ukraine within the area of application of the Treaty, stationed conventional armaments and equipment relating to categories limited by the Treaty shall not exceed totals.

a) Coastal Defence forces: on Russian Federation territory -- 542 battle tanks, 407 armoured combat vehicles, 686 artillery pieces; in Ukraine -- 271 battle tanks, 470 armoured combat vehicles and 160 artillery pieces.

b) Naval Infantry: on Russian Federation territory -- 130 tanks, 583 ACVs, 186 artillery pieces; in Ukraine -- 265 ACVs, 48 artillery pieces.

3. The destruction of conversion of conventional armaments and equipment set out in paragraph 3 of Section III of the Declaration shall be carried out in the following way:

a) by the Russian Federation -- as foreseen in paragraph 3 of Section III of the Declaration;

b) by Ukraine -- in full within the area of application of the Treaty.

4. The Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine within the boundaries of the area of application of the Treaty shall have conventional armaments and equipment (armoured combat vehicles) in the Strategic Rocket forces in quantities not exceeding:

5. For Belarus and Ukraine the figures set out here shall remain in force until the complete removal of the Strategic Rocket forces from their territory. The quota of permitted ACVs for these States shall be transferred to the Russian Federation in proportion to the removal of Strategic Rocket forces from their territory.

The Contracting Parties, as rightful heirs to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in connection with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, referred to hereafter as the Treaty, and the Agreement about the maximum holding levels of conventional weapons of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian Republic, the Polish Republic, Romania, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic, in connection with the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe, hereafter referred to as the Budapest Agreement, hereby confirm that their maximum level for holdings of conventional equipments in total will not exceed the maximum level set for the former USSR by the Treaty and the Budapest Agreement.

l. In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty and Article 1 of the Budapest Agreement each of the Contracting Parties has a maximum set level for holdings of conventional armaments limited by the Treaty.

2. In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty and of this Protocol, the Contracting Parties have the right to change their maximum holdings of conventional equipment limited by the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe.

3. A Contracting State, intending to increase its maximum level of conventional equipment, limited by the Treaty, has the right to affect such an increase only with the agreement of all interested Contracting Parties, in such a way as to avoid any infringement of the relevant provisions of the treaty.

4. In the case where a Contracting Party gives notification of its intention to increase its maximum level of actual holdings of conventional armaments and equipment, limited by the Treaty, all interested and Contracting Parties, not later than 14 days after the receipt of such a notification, must notify all other Parties as to their position on the proposed increase contained in the notification. In the absence of a consensus, the Contracting Party wishing to effect the increase of its maximum levels in respect of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty, must, not later than 21 days after the receipt of the lack of consensus, call a consultation of all interested and Contracting States in order to examine the questions raised in the original notification.

5. A decrease in the quantity of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty by Contracting Parties owning such equipment, does not in itself give the right to another Contracting Party to increase its holdings of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty: the use of its maximum levels for holdings of conventional armaments and equipment limited by the Treaty is the exclusive prerogative of each Contracting Party.

1. Proceeding from the assumption that, in accordance with the Budapest Agreement of 3 November 1990, the USSR could hold no more than 462 AVLB in regular units, the Contracting Parties agreed to limit their numbers/totals as follows:

2. An increase in any of the Contracting Parties' totals mentioned above AVLB must, by agreement with the Contracting Parties, be announced beforehand and be accompanied by a corresponding reduction of one or more of the Contracting Parties' totals of their AVLBs.

l. Proceeding from the assumption that, in accordance with the Treaty, the USSR could possess an aggregate total of Mi-24R and Mi-24K not exceeding 100, equipped for reconnaissance, spotting or chemical/biological/radiological sampling, which are not subject to the limitations of attack helicopters, the Contracting Parties agreed to limit their number in the following manner:

2. An increase in the above mentioned totals by any one of the Contracting Parties concerning Mi-24R and Mi-24K helicopters not subject to the limitations on attack helicopters, must, by agreement with the Contracting Parties, be announced beforehand or be accompanied by corresponding reductions by one or more of the Contracting Parties in their totals of specified helicopters.