Moscow, Sept 22: Almost 13 years after a hasty Soviet military withdrawal from Central Asia, Russia today signed a groundbreaking accord with Kyrghyzstan to take
control of an advanced airbase capable of controlling vast
area in the sensitive region.
At a Kremlin ceremony, defence ministers of Russia and Kyrghyzstan inked the agreement in the presence of president
Vladimir Putin and his Kyrghyz counterpart Askar Akayev, under
which Russia was given 25-year lease of the Soviet-era airbase
at Kant near the capital of the Central Asian Republic.
According to Interfax, Russia will deploy long-range SU-27 fighter bombers, SU-25 ground attack fighters and MIG warplanes, besides helicopters and heavy transport planes.
Su-27 jets will be able to control a vast area in Central
Asia, right up to Pakistan's border with India in Punjab and
Pak-occupied Kashmir, as the airbase at Kant is positioned to
defend the CIS states from the terror threat emanating from
Afghanistan and adjoining region, Russian defence experts told
a news agency.
Over 300 Russian defence and civilian personnel to be
deployed at Kant airbase will have partial diplomatic
immunity, similar to that enjoyed by us soldiers at foreign
airbases. The Kant airbase is situated very close to Manas
airbase currently being by the US and Nato for operations in
Afghanistan.
In December last, on his way back home after a visit to
India, Putin had made a brief stopover in Kyrghyzstan's capital Bishkek and inspected the Kant airbase.
Bureau Report
