MOSCOW, July 8 (RIA Novosti) - The State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, ratified an agreement on the status and deployment terms of Russia's airbase in Kant, Kyrgyzstan.
The agreement was signed in Moscow in September 2003.
The base is to ensure Russia and Kyrgyzstan's sovereignty and security in cooperation with the Kyrgyz armed forces. The base will be used for military purposes in line with decisions made by both countries.
The Russian Defense Ministry is to oversee the Kant base's combat readiness and troop training. The agreement stipulates that personnel and their possessions have immunity from arrest in whatever form.
The agreement will be in force for 15 years and can be automatically prolonged for another five years.
Colonel General Alexander Belousov, Russia's deputy defense minister and the government's representative on the project, said the first phase to open the airbase in Kant had been completed.
The troop level will be increased from 500 to 600 in the future, and the number of aircraft will also be increased, which will require several landing fields to be rebuilt.
