State Duma Ratifies Russian-kazakh Agreement

The State Duma, or the lower house of the Russian parliament, has ratified a Russian-Kazakh agreement on the status of Russian military units temporarily stationed in Kazakhstan. Introducing the document at a State Duma plenary session, Valentin Bogdanchikov of the Russian defence ministry reminded that it had been signed in Moscow on January 20, 1995. According to his words, the agreement "creates a legal base for deployment of Russian military units on the territory of Kazakhstan and ensures social protection of the military serving in these units and of their families." The Kazakh side is currently working to ratify this agreement, added Bogdanchikov.