Russian-Tajik Agreement To Be Ratified

The State Duma (the lower house of parliament) is going to ratify on Wednesday an agreement between Russia and Tajikistan on issues of jurisdiction and mutual legal assistance concerning the deployment of Russian armed forces' military formations on the territory of Tajikistan. The agreement, signed in Moscow on January 1997, stipulated, in particular, the transfer of Russian servicemen and members of their families under the jurisdiction of Tajik authorities. This wording contradicts article 61 of the Russian Constitution which prohibits the extradition of Russian citizens to the authorities of a foreign state. Later this day, the State Duma plans to ratify similar agreements concluded earlier with Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.