After talks with Kyrgyzstan’s leaders, Russia would “develop” its military stations there.
Kremlin statement: “The heads of state emphasized the significance of strengthening the Kyrgyz Republic’s armed forces and developing Russian military facilities on its territory.”
Kyrgyzstan, a country of nearly seven million people with a Muslim majority, hosts a Russian military facility consisting of an airfield, a naval installation on Lake Issyk-Kul, and other sites.
President Sadyr Japarov conferred with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the eve of Victory Day. Which will be commemorated with an army parade through Red Square.
This year, Japarov will be one of several foreign dignitaries attending the parade.
The CSTO, a military alliance led by Moscow, links Russia with Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic.
According to a Kremlin statement, the two nations also plan to “deepen military and technical cooperation”. Also their economic and cultural ties to “reach a new level of integration.”