Document

15.10.99
ON OCTOBER 15, 1999, A MEMORANDUM WAS SIGNED IN MOSCOW ON ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION LINES BETWEEN THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND BETWEEN THE SECRETARY OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Unofficial translation

PRESS RELEASE
On October 15, 1999, a Memorandum was signed in Moscow on establishing communication lines between the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and the Vice President of the United States of America and between the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and the National Security Adviser to the President of the United States of America.

The document was signed by a Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Georgy E. Mamedov, for the Russian side and by the Ambassador of the United States of America to Moscow, James Collins, for the U.S. side.

The signing ceremony was attended by a deputy chief of the Presidential Communications Directorate of the Federal Guards Service of the Russian Federation, A. S. Sukharev, and members of the mass media.

In a brief exchange of speeches the sides expressed the hope that the establishment of the new communication lines would upgrade the overall efficiency of interaction between our countries via "hot line" telephone channels and that the broadened range of these communications would make it possible to speedier take decisions on urgent matters at a high political level.

This is especially important now that a packed and concrete program of invigoration of Russian-U.S. cooperation in addressing priority security problems, approved by Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton at their meeting in Cologne in June 1999, is being implemented in the rather difficult international and domestic political circumstances.

October 15, 1999