Russia for building up Kyrgyzstan airbase - Putin
MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to reinforce its airbase
in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, President Vladimir Putin
said Monday after talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart.
"The reinforcement of the military base in Kant is a priority of our
cooperation," Putin said. "It is a mobile operative component of the
collective rapid deployment forces of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization in Central Asia and we are interested in building up its
resources."
Vladimir Mikhailov, the commander of the Russian Air Force, said in
February that the number of personnel and aircraft at the Kant base,
located about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, would be
doubled within a year.
The airbase was established in October 2003 to enable Russian combat
aircraft to provide close air support for ground units of CSTO member
states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and
Tajikistan).
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