The President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, is not against opening of the second Russian military base in the country. He told about this in an interview with TASS.
Earlier, the Defense Minister of Russia Sergei Shoigu announced the need to strengthen the Russian military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov believes that the challenges and threats to security of the Central Asian states that remain in Afghanistan require the adoption of effective countermeasures. «The fight against terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking requires high inter-state coordination in the work of law enforcement and security forces, the development and enhancement of collective response measures. We all understand the importance of this joint work, aimed at achieving common security goals,» the head of the Kyrgyz Republic noted.
According to him, the statement of the Russian Defense Minister is one of the results of cooperation. «We also consider it necessary to ensure the security of the Tajik-Afghan border, since this directly affects the scale of the above-mentioned threats and, in general, the security of other states. This work is one of the priorities of the entire international community. We must ensure the safety of citizens, society and the state. Therefore, our cooperation should be aimed at constant study and discussion of these problems, enhancing national and collective security systems, development and organization of effective steps,» said Sooronbai Jeenbekov.
The issue of opening of the second Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan has been discussed for several years. «A final decision on this issue has not yet been made. In our opinion, the situation in Afghanistan, its challenges and threats call for collective security measures for the Central Asian region,» the President of the Kyrgyz Republic believes. «As you know, Kant hosts an aviation base of the Russian Armed Forces, which together with us plays an important role in ensuring airspace security.»
Our position on the need to open the second Russian military base in the southern region of the republic is aimed at forming a collective response force to Afghan threats, such as terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking, and also increasing the degree of interaction with the military units of Kyrgyzstan.
Sooronbai Jeenbekov
