Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo in a meeting with General Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, on February 28. Taken from the 19th digital
The Assembly approves expeditiously the agreement for Russia to create an “instruction” centre in Managua, which will be fully controlled by the Russians
The National Assembly of Nicaragua, controlled by the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, approved on Thursday, March 21, an agreement between Nicaragua and Russia for the Russian Ministry of the Interior to train Nicaraguan police personnel in an Instruction Center in Managua, under the direction of Russian personnel who will have the same privileges as foreign diplomats accredited in the country.
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The Russian Training Centre, which will enjoy Nicaraguan legal personality, will carry out its activity under the general direction of the head of the Russian diplomatic representation in Nicaragua and the practical direction will be in charge of the competent authority of the Russian side.
The agreement provides that the new buildings, structures and facilities built for these trainings on Nicaraguan territory will be owned by the Russian Federation.
If this agreement is finalized, the assets of the instruction centre will be owned by the Russian Federation, the rights of the Russian Federation to real estate objects will also be fully preserved.
Russians with immunity, tax exemption and more
The Russian Federation, the Russian organizations, the centre of instruction, shall enjoy immunity from the arbitration jurisdiction of the courts of Nicaragua from the decisions of the competent Nicaraguan authorities concerning their property, the coercive measures taken on the basis of the decisions of the competent authorities of the Republic of Nicaragua, concerning any right and claim of third parties, as to any form of administrative intervention by the Republic of Nicaragua.
Real estate objects as well as the works (services) to be carried out by the Russian side in Nicaraguan territory will be exempt from taxes and fees in Nicaragua.
The Russian side shall be exempted from the collection of all types of taxes, customs payments and other charges established by Nicaraguan law in the purchase of goods (materials and equipment), including scientific documentation, reporting technique and other documentation, in the production of work and the provision of services related to its activities in the framework of the implementation of the agreement.
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The staff of the Russian side in Nicaraguan territory will be exempted from the taxes on wages and other remuneration paid by the training centre; they shall be exempted from public services.
The obligation to testify to the Nicaraguan authorities on matters of the performance of their functions in the framework of the conclusion of the agreement will also be exempted.
In addition, they will enjoy the same repatriation privileges as those of diplomatic representations of foreign states accredited in Nicaragua.
It will be exempted from immigration limitations, the procedure for the registration of foreigners and from registration fees during their stay in Nicaragua.
They shall be entitled to import a means of transport, furniture, household items and other personal effects without paying customs duties, taxes and fees during the course of the work trip, among other privileges equal to those of employees of diplomatic representations.
Obligations of the Nicaraguan part
While the Nicaraguan side will have an obligation to provide assistance to the Russian side in registering the titles of land acquired by the Russian Federation with the objective of the operation of the instruction centre and the buildings, structures and facilities built on the land belonging to the Russian Federation, as well as in obtaining permits and approvals relevant for the construction.
Nicaragua will also supply the free instruction centre for the surveillance service, basic services and translator services in accordance with the procedure and according to the rules provided for by government institutions.
Fight against crime, public order, public safety.
The area of training for Nicaraguan police personnel will be in the area of police activity, which means, according to the conceptualization of the agreement: the fight against crime, the maintenance of public order, public security.
The explanatory statement expresses that this agreement is aimed at “strengthening” the academic and professional training of the Nicaraguan police institution, with the knowledge and skills that the instruction center of the Russian side can provide, through knowledge, technical skills, experiences and good practices; allowing mutual learning and close collose, thus addressing the challenges and threats to public order and security.
It also states that it is based on the cooperation in the field of retraining and professional improvement of personnel in the field of police activity; the protocol of cooperation between the Police and the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation for 2024-2026; and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Legal Regulation of the Activities of Non-profit Organizations.
The so-called “Agreement between the Government of Nicaragua and the Government of Russia, on cooperation in the field of retraining and professional improvement in the field of police activity” originated following the visit of the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, on 27 February.
Since Ortega returned to power in 2007, he has strengthened his relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russian regime, which is his ideological ally internationally. Nicaragua, under the Ortega dictatorship, is one of the few countries in the world that supports Russia in the military invasion of Ukraine.
The ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party, headed by dictator Ortega, has full control of the Nicaraguan National Assembly, with a majority of 70 deputies, of the 91 totals, so it had no obstacles to approving this agreement.
This article has been translated from the original which first appeared in La Prensa NI