DUSHANBE, August 13, 2008, Asia-Plus — Russia and other CIS states will continue providing assistance to Tajikistan with development of its air-defense forces, Chief of Russia’s Academy for Military-Cosmic (Space) Defense, Lieutenant-General Oleg Balayan, announced at a press conference in Dushanbe yesterday, following the first day of the session of the coordinating committee for air defense within the CIS council of defense ministers.
According to him, this year alone, Russian has provided 4 million Russian rubles in no-strings aid to Tajikistan for development and strengthening of its air-defense forces. He noted that fighting capacity of Tajikistan’s air-defense forces now does not yield to fighting capacity of air-defense forces of some other CIS states.
“We are ready to provide assistance to Tajikistan in training of military personnel for its armed forces at any of our military schools,” Russian general stressed.
The session has been presided over by Commander of Air-Defense and Air Forces of Belarus’ Ministry of Defense, Major-General Igor Azerenko.
Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev noted that the chairman of the committee is Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Air Force, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin, who is the chairman of the committee, had not been able to attend to the session because of the South Ossetia conflict.
Colonel Roman Viktorov of Russia’s Air Force, who is the secretary of the committee, noted that the committee had decided to conduct the next exercises for sub-units of the CIS air-defense and air forces, dubbed “Boyevoye Sodruzhestvo-2009” (Companionship-in-Arms) at the training ground Ashuluk in Russia’s Astrakhan region next summer
Today, the session participants are attending a training session in the outskirts of Dushanbe.
The coordinating committee for air defense under the CIS council of defense ministers was set up in 1995 to coordinate the effort to develop the unified air defense of the Commonwealth. It comprises the commanders of the air defense troops (air defense and air forces) of the CIS countries. The chairman of the committee is commander-in-chief of Russia’s Air Force, Colonel-General Alexander Zelin.
