Photo: Sputnik/Grigory Sisoev
Speaking to Russian media about the work being done to enhance and strengthen the Joint CIS Air Defense System, Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Col. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said that the creation of a united regional air defense system in the post-Soviet space serves as an excellent opportunity to strengthen the common air defense of Eurasia, Sputnik reports.
In an interview for Krasnaya Zvezda (‘Red Star’), the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Bondarev, who also serves as chair of the coordinating committee of the Joint Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Air Defense System, said there was a broader significance to the regional air defensive structure, work on which continues to progress.
“On the one hand, the creation of unified regional systems promotes the further development of the Joint CIS Air Defense System, and on the other, it provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen the air defense in this particular geopolitical direction,” Bondarev said.
The commander explained that Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) members Russia, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan have already worked out and signed agreements to improve cooperation within the Joint CIS Air Defense System, and improve the system’s organization and coordination.
“At the moment, work is underway on the practical implementation of these agreements. Similar agreements have been developed with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and presently they are undergoing procedures for inter-departmental approval,” Bondarev added.
The senior officer stressed that very close attention is being paid to the expanded military-technical cooperation going on in the framework of the Joint CIS Air Defense System.
Specifically, Bondarev explained that “the main of these measures include the supply of anti-aircraft missile systems to Kazakhstan, the provision of modern communications systems to Kyrgyzstan, the supply of aircraft and anti-aircraft missile technology to Tajikistan, and the supply of spare parts and equipment for air defense equipment in Armenia and Belarus.”
On Sunday, Dmitri Shugaev, the head of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, the body charged with managing military-technical cooperation with other states, told Sputnik that Russia was on track to continue supplying advanced defense products, including helicopters, air defense system and armored vehicles, to CSTO countries including Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan.
