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FOUR CIS COUNTRIES ORGANIZE JOINT AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are organizing a joint air defense system, Lieutenant General Aitech Bizhev, deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force for the CIS joint air defense system, said in Moscow Thursday.

Last year, Tajikistan completed its Air Defense Forces' armament restoration. The control and communications systems are currently being restored, and a close cooperation with the air defense system of the Russian military base has been established.

According to Mr. Bizhev, "it has been planned to install automatic equipment at the Tajik air defense commanding point."

Mr. Bizhev also said that Russia believed it important to cooperate with Ukraine in air defense.

"Relations between Russia and Ukraine in the sphere of air defense are being built on a bilateral basis. We are constantly cooperating with Ukraine, which reorganized its Armed Forces last year and formed an Air Force which now also comprises the Air Defense Forces."

"I view of this, cooperation with Ukraine is now entering a new higher, level," he noted.

Speaking about cooperation in air defense with the CIS countries, Mr. Bizhev said the 2004 Council of CIS Heads of Government in Astana passed a decision to allocate about two billion rubles ($1 = 28.13 rubles) in 2005 for developing the joint system. In 2004, 800 million rubles were spent on these aims, he said.

"This money is being spent on the development and the combat capability maintenance of the national air defense systems, on joint combat training and on implementing common programs for improving the CIS joint air defense systems," Mr. Bizhev said.