The government of President Daniel Ortega authorized on Tuesday through a presidential decree the exchange of ships, aircraft, and foreign military personnel for “mutually beneficial purposes of exchange and humanitarian assistance.”
The Nicaraguan government annually carries out cooperation agreements of this type.
The decree authorizes, among others, the entry of personnel and weapons of the Russian Armed Forces, that is at war with Ukraine after invading that country in February.
It also authorizes “the transit or parking in the national territory of military personnel, ships and aircraft of the armed forces and army” from Guatemala, El Salvador Salvador, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, the United States (“previously planned and coordinated,” says the document) , Mexico, Venezuela and Cuba.
These are carried out “for the purpose of exchange and mutually beneficial humanitarian assistance in the event of an emergency situation, as well as the departure of Nicaraguan troops, ships and aircraft outside the country in accordance with the planning of activities during the second half of 2022.”
The decree, published in La Gaceta, states that military personnel will carry out an exchange of “experiences, training, operations against illegal activities in maritime spaces in the Mar Car and jurisdictional waters in the Pacific Ocean of Nicaragua, with the Naval Force of the Army”.
According to the decree —which would have to be approved by the National Assembly with an official majority— the troops will be maintained from July 1 to December 31 this year.
It also allows the “entry into the national territory, on a rotating basis, of eighty (80) military personnel, ships and aircraft of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, to participate with members of the ‘General Pedro Altamirano’ Special Operations Command of the Army of Nicaragua in exchange of experiences and training exercise in humanitarian aid operations, from July 1 to December 31, 2022”.
The Nicaraguan armed forces are also authorized to travel to those countries and conduct similar humanitarian exercises.
The international community has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in numerous economic sanctions against the Kremlin.
At the beginning of the year, Russia promised to strengthen its cooperation with NicaraguaCuba and Venezuela, including the “military technician”, according to the Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, during a speech in the Russian Parliament.
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