#6
Russian defence chief sees "considerable conflict potential" in Central Asia
ITAR-TASS

Bishkek, 13 June: There is "considerable conflict potential" in Central Asia. Therefore, Russia, together with its partners, including the United States, Britain and China, "is actively working" to prevent this conflict from "conflagrating". This statement was made today in Bishkek by Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov, now on an official visit here.

Under the present situation, he continued, "powder should be kept dry", while "collective rapid deployment forces should be trained".

Ivanov signed several agreements on military cooperation at the talks with Kyrgyz Defence Minister Esen Topoyev today, including one on prolonging the stay of Russian military facilities on Kyrgyz territory. "I'd like to explain that Kyrgyzstan has our station for monitoring the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

"We have reached an understanding that all information of the station will be also used by civil structures to prevent emergency situations, not only in Kyrgyzstan, but also in other countries," Ivanov noted. According to the minister's appraisal, relations in the military sphere between Russia and Kyrgyzstan "are allied, and they will undoubtedly develop in future".

Russian military facilities will remain in Kyrgyzstan at least for another 7-15 years, the Russia minister stressed. He specially underlined at the same time that the Russian military contingent would not increase numerically in the republic.

Turning to the military and political situation developing in the Central Asian region, Ivanov noted that "there is no direct threat to Kyrgyzstan's sovereignty".

It has considerably decreased after the start of the operation by forces of the international antiterrorist coalition in Afghanistan, but "it could not be fully precluded". Taleban and Al-Qa'idah gunmen were not fully routed, and small gangs of them still remain.

According to the Russian minister, he reached several agreements with Topoyev at their talks on prolonging military and technical cooperation between the two countries. For instance, the two sides are planning the joint training of troops and the use by the Russian side of Kyrgyz munitions factories.

"Bishkek and other Kyrgyz cities have had many munitions factories since Soviet times, and Russia is ready to use their products, since there is no need to create something an ally has in Russia," Ivanov stated. He promised that Kyrgyz cadets would continue to study at Russian higher education establishments "on easy terms".

The minister is confident that Russian-Kyrgyz military relations will be even more "trustworthy" in future, while Russia's military presence will change in quality.

Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1321 gmt 13 Jun 02

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