Russia's Defence Minister on Russian military presence in Kyrgyzstan

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said that he hoped to make Russia's military presence in Kyrgyzstan more effective. Sergei Ivanov said this in Bishkek commenting on the results of a meeting with his Kyrgyz counterpart Esen Topoyev.

Sergei Ivanov said that the matter concerns an "expansion of the qualitative, rather than quantitative presence." He also said that on the results of the current meeting in Bishkek the heads of the military ministries of Russia and Kyrgyzstan had endorsed changes in the protocol on the procedure of the use of Russian military facilities on Kyrgyz territory and the status of Russian servicemen.

The ministers also signed a protocol on the terms of leasing the places of disposition of units of the Russian Defence Ministry's seismic service located in Kyrgyzstan, as well as an agreement between the Defence Ministries of Russia and Kyrgyzstan on the joint planning and operational training of the armed forces of Russia and Kyrgyzstan.

According to the Russian-Kyrgyz agreement, one of the international stations ensuring implementation of the treaty on non-proliferation of mass destruction weapons will also provide information to civilian agencies and, in particular, the Kyrgyz institute of seismology and the Emergency Ministry of Kyrgyzstan.