MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to reinforce its airbase in the Central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, President Vladimir Putin said Monday after talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart.
"The reinforcement of the military base in Kant is a priority of our cooperation," Putin said. "It is a mobile operative component of the collective rapid deployment forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Central Asia and we are interested in building up its resources."
Vladimir Mikhailov, the commander of the Russian Air Force, said in February that the number of personnel and aircraft at the Kant base, located about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, would be doubled within a year.
The airbase was established in October 2003 to enable Russian combat aircraft to provide close air support for ground units of CSTO member states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan).
