5 September 2016, 23:59 GMT
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Incidents at Sea Agreement commits the United States and Russia to regular contact over issues or complaints related to close operations at sea. Once a year, the two sides meet to address such matters.
“We have the practices to prevent incidents at sea with the Russians. That is a living agreement in place today, and so it is discussed annually with the Russians and kept relevant,” Richardson said at a forum sponsored by the Center for American Progress, a think tank.
The agreement was signed in 1972 to avoid collisions as well as provocative maneuvers such as simulated attacks. It also requires each country to provide advanced notice of upcoming activities that could pose a risk to the other’s naval navigation or aircraft.
