Kyrgyzstan: Moscow Repaid Debts for Leased Military Assets

05.03.2012 Russian Defense Ministry has redeemed indebtedness to Kyrgyzstan for leased military assets, reported Interfax referring to press service of Kyrgyzstani defense ministry.

According to the ministry, Russia on March 1 transferred $15.466 mln to Kyrgyzstan for military objects leased in the period of 2008-2011.

"As is planned, the money will be used for the needs of Kyrgyzstani defense ministry", reported the press service.

President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev has not discussed the withdrawal of Russian air base from Kyrgyzstan, so there are no reasons for tension in the bilateral relations, said the chairman of Kyrgyzstani parliamentary committee for defense Tokon Mamytov.

Visiting Moscow late Feb, Atambayev said in the interview to Echo Moskvy Radio that the Russian military base could be probably closed.

"That Russian base in Kant neither makes lease payments nor fulfills its commitments. Do we really need such kind of base?" asked Atambayev. As for him, he raised the issue on $15-mln indebtedness during talks with Russian counterpart Medvedev.

Russian defense ministry leases air base in Kant on the free-of-charge basis, and debts mentioned by president Atambayev are related to other assets, wrote Kommersant later on.

According to Russian diplomats and military officials, the Kyrgyzstan's leader "must have either read carelessly or haven't read at all" the bilateral agreement regulating status and deployment conditions of the Russian air base in Kant.

In particular, Article 5 of that document says that Russian military servicemen are located there on a free-of-charge basis.

Nevertheless, Russian officials admit debts to Kyrgyzstan, but for distinctly different assets leased by Moscow. Namely, Karakol ASW Test Range, Russian Navy's 338-th Communication Center in Spartak, and Russian defense ministry's autonomous seismic point in Mailuu-Suu.

Moscow uses those assets in accordance with the agreement tied in 1993, and is supposed to pay for them but not money though, wrote the newspaper.

Instead of lease payment, it was agreed that Russian Defense Ministry would train military personnel and provide Kyrgyzstan Armed Forces with equipment. However, Moscow has not met these commitments since 2008.

One theory is that Kyrgyzstan requested defense products which Russia could not offer. Another theory says the reason was unstable interior situation in Kyrgyzstan.

"In 2008-2009, we desisted from arms export to Kyrgyzstan because of strained political situation there", said a source in Russian defense ministry.

Representative of Kyrgyzstan government affirmed that Almazbek Atambayev had made a mistake. "Speaking of Russia's debts for military assets, he meant communication center and antisubmarine weapons test range. Overall area of leased objects is 863 hectares plus a part of water space in the Lake Issyk Kul. Annual lease payment is $4.5 mln. Considering that Russia has not paid since 2008, now the debt makes about $15 mln", said the official.

Nonetheless, Bishkek have some other claims on 999-th Air Station in Kant despite absence of debt, added the politician.

"Although the base is used on the free-of-charge basis, it must fulfill some obligations. For one, the Kant air base was expected to train Kyrgyzstani pilots and repair four L-39 training airplanes handed over by Kyrgyzstan, but failed", said the official.

He added that, according to the agreement, the base was supposed to execute defense functions, but during mass murders in Osh in the summer of 2010 it "did nothing".