Russian military donate 2 helicopters, 9 armored vehicles to Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK. April 29 (Interfax) - Two Mil Mi-8MTV helicopters and nine BRDM-2M armored vehicles were donated by the Russian military to Kyrgyzstan at a Kant airbase ceremony on Monday.
The military hardware has been donated in furtherance of "Russia's military-technical assistance to Kyrgyzstan consistent with the agreement on the deployment of the Russian combined-arms military base in the republic," Kyrgyz General Staff Chief Rayimberdi Duishenbiev said at the ceremony.
"Kyrgyzstan and Russia maintain a high level of military and military-technical cooperation, which has resulted in the successful training of military specialists and has bolstered the army's combat preparedness," Duishenbiev said.
"The existent threats and challenges require that we take effective and relevant security measures; so we continue to strengthen the interaction at such international organizations as the CIS, the CSTO, and the SCO, and with our strategic partners. I am sure that Russia's military assistance will help us ensure national security," he said.
He also said he was certain that Kyrgyzstan and Russia "would continue to boost military and military-technical cooperation for the sake of security of the population and other countries."
Russia donated two Antonov An-26 planes to Kyrgyzstan in August 2016. Assistance to the Kyrgyz Armed Forces is envisaged by the intergovernmental agreement on the presence of Russia's combined-arms military base in Kyrgyzstan.