The Kremlin announced this Monday that Russia will develop its military installations in Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian country linked to Moscow, following a meeting of the two countries’ presidents Vladimir Putin and Sadyr Japarov in the Russian capital.
“The heads of state emphasize the importance of strengthening Kyrgyzstan’s armed forces and developing Russian military facilities on their territory,” the Kremlin said in a joint statement.
Russia has a military base in Kyrgyzstan consisting of an airfield, naval installations on Lake Issyk-Kul and various other structures.
Sadyr Japarov was received by Vladimir Putin in Moscow today, on the eve of the grand May 9 military parade to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany, to which Kyrgyzstan’s president was one of the few foreign leaders invited.
Russia and Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, are linked by a military alliance led by Moscow, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), founded in 1992 and which also includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Armenia.
According to the joint statement released today, Moscow and Bishkek also plan to “deepen military and technical cooperation”, as well as economic and cultural relations, with the aim of “reaching a new level of integration”.
This Russian military reinforcement will take place in the context of the war that Russia has been waging for more than 14 months in Ukraine and the serious tensions with the West, which has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Source: DN
