Kyrgyz president ratifies agreement on joint air defense with Russia

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov ratified on Thursday an agreement on the establishment of a joint air defense system with Russia.

According to the agreement, the technology will become an integral part of the joint air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Bishkek will provide a five-hectare plot next to the Russian airbase in the city of Kant for deployment of the necessary infrastructure.

The parties concluded the agreement in Moscow on Aug. 16, 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law this year on May 29.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the deal as a "great achievement."

The CIS is a cooperative alliance between some states that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Its members are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Ukraine has not formally withdrawn from the bloc, but has not taken part in its official work for several years.