21. pants

Spēkā stāšanās

1. Šis līgums ir noslēgts uz nenoteiktu laiku un stājas spēkā

nākamā mēneša pirmajā dienā pēc tam, kad ir saņemts pēdējais

rakstisks paziņojums pa diplomātiskajiem kanāliem, kurā Puses

informē viena otru par to, ka ir izpildītas iekšējās procedūras,

kas nepieciešamas, lai šis līgums stātos spēkā.

2. Katra Puse var izbeigt šī līguma darbību jebkurā laikā,

iesniedzot otrai Pusei rakstisku paziņojumu pa diplomātiskajiem

kanāliem par savu nodomu. Šāda izbeigšana stājas spēkā

deviņdesmitajā dienā pēc šāda paziņojuma saņemšanas datuma.

Parakstīts Batumi, 2014.gada 30.maijā divos oriģinālos

eksemplāros, katrs latviešu, gruzīnu un angļu valodā, visiem

tekstiem esot vienlīdz autentiskiem. Līguma noteikumu

interpretācijas atšķirību gadījumā priekšroka dodama tekstam

angļu valodā.

Latvijas Republikas

valdības vārdā

Rihards Kozlovskis

Gruzijas

valdības vārdā

Aleksandrs Čikaidze

AGREEMENT

between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the

Government of Georgia on Collaboration within the Field of

Civil Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response

The Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of

Georgia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties,

recognising the necessity of collaboration between the two

Parties and endeavouring to facilitate mutual assistance in the

field of prevention, preparedness and response to civil

emergencies and elimination of their consequences;

considering the benefits which may be brought to the Parties

by the exchange of scientific and technical information in the

above-mentioned field;

taking into account the probability and severity of civil

emergencies, where co-ordinated assistance interventions may be

required to complement the response capabilities of the affected

Party with a purpose to reduce the loss of human life and damage

to the environment and property;

have agreed as follows.

Article 1

Definitions

For the objective of the Agreement the following expressions

shall mean:

1. "civil emergencies" refer to situations that

originated as a result of natural and man-made disasters, such as

fire, technological, radiological and environmental accidents,

epidemics and other types of disasters which severely threaten or

damage human life, health, property and environment;

2. "requesting Party" refers to the Party which

addresses to the other Party with the request for sending

assistance groups, equipment and maintenance materials;

3. "offering Party" refers to the Party which

complies with the request of the other Party for sending

assistance groups, equipment and maintenance materials;

4. "assistance groups" refer to groups of

specialists from offering Party assigned to render assistance and

to provide necessary equipment;

5. "equipment" refers to materials, technical

facilities, means of transport, medicines and medical equipment,

equipment of assistance groups and personal equipment used for

rendering assistance;

6. "maintenance materials" refer to material means

intended for free of charge delivery to the population affected

by civil emergencies;

7. "competent authorities" refer to authorities

designated by each Party for the coordination of activities

related to the implementation of the Agreement.

Article 2

Object of Collaboration

The Parties to the Agreement convinced of the necessity of

collaboration set up a permanent co-operation to encounter civil

emergencies and to develop this co-operation by suitable means

within the available resources and due to the needs of both

Parties.

Article 3

Forms of Collaboration

Collaboration within the framework of the Agreement will

include the following forms:

a) elaboration and perfection of measures and methods for the

prevention of civil emergencies and for the elimination of their

consequences;

b) organization of operative exchange of information:

i. on civil emergencies, that occurred on the territories of

the states of the Parties;

ii. on requests and proposals of the Parties in the field of

mutual assistance, as well as assistance rendered by respective

international organizations;

iii. on mutual assistance rendered for elimination on the

consequences of civil emergencies;

c) attraction of international organizations to ensure

preparedness of the Parties in prevention of civil emergencies

and to obtain assistance in case of their occurrence;

d) organization and realization of monitoring over natural and

technological processes;

e) prediction of civil emergencies and assessment of their

consequences;

f) exchange of experts;

g) training of personnel;

h) organization of joint consultations;

i) exchange of information and technologies;

j) organization of joint seminars and meetings;

k) joint planning, elaboration, realization and demonstration

of research projects;

l) maintenance of connection between the competent authorities

of the Parties;

m) elimination of consequences of civil emergencies;

n) any other activity related to the prevention of civil

emergencies and to the elimination of their consequences, as it

may be agreed between the competent authorities of the

Parties.

Article 4

Competent Authorities

1. For the purpose of the Agreement the competent authorities

of the Parties are:

a) In the Republic of Latvia:

State Fire and Rescue Service,

Emergency Medical Service;

b) In Georgia:

Emergency Situations Management Department of the Ministry of

Internal Affairs of Georgia.

2. Both Parties of the Agreement will provide contact

information and details of the competent authorities through

diplomatic channels, as well as their contact points, which will

be accessible on a 24 hour basis.

3. In execution of the Agreement the competent authorities of

the Parties are entitled to get into immediate direct

contact.

4. The Parties of the Agreement will inform each other

immediately of any change concerning the competences of the

competent authorities through diplomatic channels.

Article 5

Request for Assistance and Exchange of Information

1. Assistance shall be provided on the basis of a written

request of the competent authority of the requesting Party, or,

in the extremely urgent case, on the basis of a verbal request.

Any verbal request shall be confirmed in writing as soon as

possible, but not later than in 3 (three) hours after receipt of

a verbal request. In the request, the competent authority of the

requesting Party shall provide information about the place, time

and date of the beginning of the civil emergency, the nature and

extent of the civil emergency and the evaluation of the current

situation; the measures already taken and planned and the

required support and the priorities of assistance.

2. The competent authority of the offering Party shall, within

the shortest possible period of time, make a decision on

possibility to provide assistance and inform the competent

authority of the requesting Party of its immediate capabilities,

the conditions and extent of assistance.

3. The competent authority of the offering Party informs the

competent authority of the requesting Party in writing on the

border crossing point planned for crossing by the assistance

group, time of the border crossing and used vehicles.

Article 6

Mutual Assistance and Co-ordination Measures

1. The provision of assistance may be implemented by sending

assistance groups, equipment and maintenance materials or by

transferring the necessary information and experience.

2. The competent authority of the requesting Party shall

coordinate, manage and supervise the activities of assistance

groups of the offering Party through the appointed representative

of the aforementioned assistance groups.

3. The competent authority of the requesting Party shall

inform the appointed representative of the assistance group of

the changes in the situation in the area of the civil emergency

and shall determine the order of activities and, whenever

necessary, shall provide interpreters and other necessary support

and tools to these assistance groups free of charge.

4. The equipment of the assistance groups should be sufficient

to operate autonomously in the area of civil emergency during at

least 72 hours from the moment of their arrival.

5. The requesting Party shall ensure the safety of the

assistance groups; provide free emergency medical care, meals and

accommodation, as well as the basic means of sustenance after the

stocks of the assistance groups have run out.

6. Assistance groups shall honour the national laws and

regulations of the requesting Party during their stay in the

territory of the state of the requesting Party.

Article 7

Border Crossing

1. With a view to ensure rapid and efficient assistance, the

Parties shall limit the formalities of the border crossing

procedure to the lowest possible level.

2. Assistance groups may cross the state border of the

requesting Party out of turn at the border crossing points open

for international traffic with valid travel documents.

3. The appointed representative of the assistance groups must

have a letter of assignment issued by the competent authority of

the offering Party, indicating powers of the assistance group and

the list of members of the assistance group. The driver of the

vehicle if any shall present additionally to the valid travel

document a document authorizing to drive that vehicle and the

registration certificate of the vehicle.

4. Upon submitting the aforementioned documents the visas for

the members of the Georgian assistance group shall be issued at

the border crossing point by the State Border Guard of the

Republic of Latvia.

5. The procedure of crossing the state border of the

requesting Party by assistance groups with rescue-dogs and their

stay in the territory of the state of the requesting Party shall

be determined pursuant to the quarantine rules in force in the

territory of the state of the requesting Party.

6. For the purpose of transportation of assistance groups,

their equipment and maintenance materials, any suitable vehicle

can be used in order to reach the destination as soon as

possible.

7. The border-crossing procedure in accordance with conditions

of this Article shall be valid even when one of the states of the

Parties is a transit state in respect of a third state requesting

assistance in the event of civil emergency, and the transit is

necessary to provide effective assistance. Competent authorities

referred to in the paragraph 1 of Article 4 of the Agreement

shall notify each other in due time about the necessity of

transit to provide assistance to a third state and shall

co-ordinate the procedure for the transit of the equipment and

maintenance materials.

Article 8

Transportation of Equipment and Maintenance Materials Across the

Border

1. The equipment, maintenance materials and assistance group

members' personal belongings that are imported or exported

pursuant to the Agreement shall be exempted from customs duties

and another fees, if it is not contrary to the national laws and

regulations of the states of the Parties.

2. When providing assistance, assistance groups may, apart

from their personal belongings needed for travelling, import,

export and transit only the equipment necessary to perform their

task.

3. Any equipment and maintenance materials not used or not

destroyed shall be returned to the offering Party.

4. Medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic substances

may be imported only in quantities necessary for medical

assistance purposes in accordance with the national laws and

regulations of the states of the Parties. Only the qualified

medical personnel in accordance with the relevant regulation

shall use them. In this case the appointed representative of the

assistance group shall present to the customs control bodies a

declaration listing medicines containing narcotic and

psychotropic substances and indicating their nomenclature and

amount.

5. Appointed representative of the assistance group shall,

upon crossing the state border, submit a separate list of the

equipment required for the performance of the task of the

assistance group and a separate list of the maintenance

materials, to the customs authority of the requesting Party.

6. The relevant authorities of the requesting Party may

control the usage and storage of the above-mentioned materials

and substances.

7. The medicines containing narcotic and psychotropic

substances not used during the mission shall be taken out from

the territory of the state of the requesting Party. The

certificate on utilized medicines signed by the appointed

representative and the physician of the assistance group of the

offering Party and certified by the competent authority of the

requesting Party shall be presented to the customs control bodies

of the requesting Party upon the completion of the mission.

8. The conditions of this Article shall be also valid for

transit of the equipment and maintenance materials through the

territory of the state of one of the Parties in the event of

providing assistance to a third state.

Article 9

Use of Aircraft

1. Either Party may, for the purposes of assistance, permit

the use and transit flight of the aircraft of the other

Party.

2. The competent authority of the offering Party shall inform

the competent authority of the requesting Party of the use of

aircraft for the purposes of providing assistance, submitting

data on the following:

‒ type of the aircraft;

‒ the country of nationality and registration and the

nationality and registration mark of the aircraft;

‒ the number and list of the members of the on-board crew and

passengers;

‒ the nature of cargo transported (specifying equipment and

maintenance materials);

‒ the planned flight route, the envisaged place of landing and

flight data.

3. The offering Party is exempted from any payments for flying

over, landing, parking, taking off and navigating services for

the aircraft, which provides assistance under the Agreement. The

competent authorities of the Parties shall, when aircraft is used

for providing assistance, separately agree on the reimbursement

of costs in relation to the supply of fuel and maintenance

services for the aircraft on a case by case basis.

4. Border crossing and customs control of aircraft shall be

carried out in landing places of aircraft.

Article 10

Reimbursement of Assistance

Unless otherwise provided for by the Parties, also taking into

account the provisions of the Agreement, assistance shall be

provided free of charge.

Article 11

Compensation of Damages

1. The Parties resign each other any right that they may have

for claiming compensation in case of damage to property including

damage to the environment caused by a member of the assistance

group in the course of performing his/her assignment related to

the implementation of the Agreement and any claim for

compensation arising from damage to the health or the death of a

member of the assistance group when such an event takes place in

the course of and in relation to the performing of tasks related

to the implementation of the Agreement.

2. When a member of the assistance group of the offering Party

causes damage to a third person in the territory of the state of

the requesting Party while performing a task related to the

implementation of the Agreement, liability shall be borne by the

requesting Party, in accordance with its national laws and

regulations applicable to damage caused by its own assistance

group.

3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article shall

not be applied when the damage was caused as a result of criminal

offence committed intentionally or through negligence.

4. The liability for payment for damages specified in this

Article shall extend to the damage caused by the assistance group

during the period from the moment of entry to the territory of

the state of the requesting Party until departure.

5. The competent authorities shall closely co-operate to ease

the assessment of claims for compensation. For this purpose, they

shall exchange all information available to them concerning the

circumstances of causing the damage.

6. The Parties shall also apply the provisions of this Article

as appropriate when either of them is a transit state.

Article 12

Coordination while Providing Assistance

The competent authorities will take all the necessary

procedure to establish and maintain close liaison between the

competent authorities and the assistance groups while providing

assistance.

Article 13

Completion of the Assistance Operations

The assistance groups must terminate their operations

immediately if demanded by the requesting Party or when completed

their tasks. Thereafter, all assistance groups will leave the

territory of the state of the requesting Party immediately.

Article 14

Expenses related to Visits and Trainings

1.The Party sending experts and observers to the other Party

bears their traveling costs and the host Party bears the costs of

accommodation and transportation within the state, unless the

Parties agree otherwise on a case by case basis.

2. The Party sending participants and trainees to the other

Party bears their traveling costs and the host Party bears the

costs of accommodation, medical care and transportation within

the state during training of the mentioned persons, unless the

Parties agree otherwise on a case by case basis.

Article 15

Use of information

Any information obtained as a result of the activity performed

pursuant to the Agreement may be disclosed to a third party only

on the basis of the prior consent of the Party transferring the

information, taking into account the provisions of the national

laws and regulations of the Parties in force in their states, and

may be disclosed to the public only when the competent

authorities of the Parties have agreed to do so in advance in

writing.

Article 16

Common Committee

1. The competent authorities shall form a common committee

carrying out following duties:

a) implementing the Agreement by preparing and identifying the

cooperation programs phases between the Parties to the Agreement

and working on its continuation and developing;

b) proposing suitable recommendations for developing the

Agreement according to the Parties' future aspirations, and

presenting them to the competent authorities in order to assume

suitable procedures to implement the recommendations.

2. The common committee will alternately meet on the territory

of the state of either Party once a year or when necessary. The

common committee is headed by the delegation leader of the host

Party.

Article 17

Use of Language

In the course of their collaboration in accordance with the

Agreement the Parties shall use the English language.

Article 18

Settlement of Disputes

Any dispute regarding the interpretation or application of the

Agreement shall be resolved between the Parties by means of

consultations and/or negotiations.

Article 19

Other International Agreements

The Agreement shall not affect the rights and obligations of

the Parties set forth in other international agreements.

Article 20

Amendments and Supplements

The Agreement may be amended and supplemented in written form

by mutual consent of the Parties. The amendments and supplements

shall be drawn up in a form of separate document and shall

constitute an integral part of the Agreement. The document shall

enter into force in the same way as the Agreement.

Article 21

Entry into Force

1. The Agreement is concluded for an indefinite period of time

and shall enter into force on the first day of the next month

following the day of the receipt of the last written notification

through diplomatic channels by which the Parties notify each

other of the completion of the internal procedures necessary for

the Agreement to enter into force.

2. Each Party may terminate the Agreement at any time by

giving the other Party a written notice of its intention through

diplomatic channels. Such termination shall take effect on the

ninetieth day following the date of receipt of such notice.

Done at Batumi on 30 May 2014 in two originals, each in

Latvian, Georgian and English languages, all texts being equally

authentic. In case of any divergence in interpretation of the

provisions of the Agreement, the English text shall prevail.

For the Government

of

the Republic of Latvia

Rihards Kozlovskis

For the Government

of

Georgia

Aleksandre Tchikaidze