TAJIKISTAN TO LET RUSSIAN MILITARY USE AIRPORT – MEDVEDEV

RIA Novosti
21:36 | 29/ 08/ 2008

DUSHANBE, August 29 (RIA Novosti) – Tajikistan has agreed to allow
the Russian military to use an airport in the western city of Gissar,
Russia’s president said on Friday.

Dmitry Medvedev said after a meeting with his Tajik counterpart,
Emomali Rakhmon, that the two leaders had agreed that the Gissar
airfield, located around 20 km west of the capital Dushanbe, would
be used by the Russian Defense Ministry.

"Russia will also complete the construction of some partially-built
facilities," he said.

The meeting, which followed a two-day summit of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization recently held in the Tajik capital, is also
reported to have resulted in a joint statement on further expansion
of military ties between the two countries.

Russia and Tajikistan are members of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) also comprising Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, and Belarus.

The post-Soviet security alliance is scheduled to meet on September 5,
where the parties are widely expected to work out a joint position
on the latest conflict.