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ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE KYRGYZ PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO RUSSIA
ANATOLY TSYGANOK,
Head of Russia's Center for Military Forecasting, Moscow
During the forthcoming visit of President of the Kyrgyz RepublicKurmanbek Bakiyev to Russia there will be three important issues which are to be discussed with Moscow.
The first one is whether Russia is going to give support to the base on the Issyk-Kul Lake. Presently, it is the only firing area of such kind for testing torpedo rockets, in particular such unique ones as the “Shkval” rockets. Kyrgyzstan agrees to cooperate with Moscow in this field, but another thing is that the financial crisis puts obstacles in Russia’s maintaining the base.
The second issue concerns founding of one more military base in the Kyrgyz Republic aimed at training foreign specialists. It primarily concerns training of Indian specialists by their Russian colleagues. This issue is being negotiated for a long time.
And the third issue refers to the development of the cooperation on Russian military air base in Kant.
The American military base in Kyrgyzstan is not so crucial for Bishkek and Moscow. I believe that the Russian and U.S. military bases will both remain in the Republic, which is a unique case in the post-Soviet space.
Russia will continue its cooperation with NATO, whereas Bishkek is not ready to make the base the point for breaking up the relationship with the United States. The only thing that the Kyrgyz government can claim for is the increase of the financial aid for maintaining the American base.
The point that does not satisfy Bishkek is the American NGOs, operating in Kyrgyzstan and supported by the U.S. Department of State, e.g. the so called educational centers on the English language acquisition. Bishkek treats them as the threat of unauthorized regime change.
On the whole, Bishkek’s foreign policy is similar to that one of Astana. Kyrgyzstan, like Kazakhstan, finds it important to keep on friendly terms both with the U.S.A. and Russia.
January 30, 2009
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