#7
Vremya Novostei
June 13, 2002
Russia is Closer but the United States is Wealthier (Vremya Novostei)
Moscow may lose Kirghizia as its major military and naval ally
By Yuri Golotyuk
(therussianissues.com)

A delegation of the Russian Security Council led by its Secretary Vladimir Rushailo arrived in Bishkek on Monday for talks with Kirghiz leadership in which Russian Atomic Ministry Chief Alexander Rumyantsev will also take part. A large Russian military delegation to be led by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov is expected to arrive in Bishkek on Wednesday. Concurrently, Russian combat army units from the 201st motor rifled division will participate in the first stage of the "Southern Shield Commonwealth-2002" military exercise.

Security Council Secretary Vladimir Rushailo and the two Russian ministers will meet Kirghiz President Askar Akayev and Prime Minister Nikolai Tanayev. Besides, Mr. Rushailo will hold separate consultations with Kirghiz counterpart Misir Ashirkulov, while Mr. Ivanov will meet Kirghiz Acting Defense Minister Esen Topoyev. New Russian-Kirghiz agreements in military-political and military-technological spheres will be the dominating subject at all talks. Mr. Rushailo will also discuss a wide range of issues related to Russian-Kirghiz bilateral relations and contemporary state of international regional security. Alexander Rumyantsev will face a much more complicated task of discussing the most painful subject of bilateral relations - Kirghizia's outstanding debt to Russia which Moscow estimates at about one and a half billion dollars while Bishkek claims that its size is nearly four times less. Mr. Rumyantsev has been categorically forbidden to exert pressure on Kirghiz negotiators. During his recent talks with President Akayev Russian President Vladimir Putin chided the inter-governmental commission for poor performance in the economic sphere. The Russian-Kirghiz trade turnover dropped by 25% in 2001. Simultaneously, Mr. Rumyantsev will have to advance cooperation in military and technological sphere whose state has been positively assessed by President Putin.

It was not accidental that the Russian Minatom chief has been appointed to supervise military and technological cooperation. His ministry is responsible for most Russian-Kirghiz joint projects in this field. Kirghizia needs Russian electronic systems that Minatom produces at its enterprises to guard its borders. In turn, Moscow expects to acquire a share in extracting uranium in Kirghizia and to inherit most of the Soviet-era defense enterprises in swap for writing off Kirghiz debts.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will have to discuss the future of Russian bases in Kirghizia. That has not caused any problems until recently. The issue was settled when Russia and Kirghizia signed a treaty on military cooperation in 1993. Since the late 1990s Bishkek started to charge Russia five million dollars a year for maintaining its military presence in the Kirghiz territory. Kirghizia wanted cash. The Russian army paid debts by training Kirghiz officers in schools and academies. However, each idyll comes to an end sooner or later. The United States and its allies who have deployed their military contingents at Manas airport offer 7,000 dollars to the Kirghiz owners for the landing or take-off of one military plane. One flight by a French Mirage-2002D plane brings 2,000 dollars to the Kirghiz budget. Russia cannot lose its military bases in Kirghizia on which the Kremlin heavily relies in building Russia's future military and naval might. The Russian navy has one of its two remaining distant communication stations in Kirghizia. The other one is in Belarus. Besides, Russia has been testing its latest weapons for submarines and warships at its naval base on Issyk-Kul Lake since the 1960s.

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