Russia's Air Force chief said on Tuesday he refused to rule out the expansion of an air base in Kyrgyzstan.
"We do not plan to expand the Kant military base, but if we are asked to, we will," Col. Gen. Alexander Zelin said.
"Our state will always welcome the presence of Russian troops," head of the Kyrgyz air force Erkin Osmonov said.
The predecessor of today's airbase was established in 1941, in the Kyrgyz city of Kant, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the capital Bishkek. An air training school, relocated from Odessa, was used as the foundation for the base.
The airbase was used as a training ground for military pilots from the Soviet Union, Asia, Africa and Central America during the Soviet era.
In May 1992, the base was brought under Kyrgyz jurisdiction.
An agreement on the presence of Russian troops at the base was concluded in 2003. Some 250 Russian officers and 150 enlisted personnel from Russia's 5th Air Army are deployed at the base, as well as Su-25 Frogfoot strike aircraft and Mi-8 transport helicopters.
The Russian air group in Kant controls the Central Asian airspace and may target terrorist objects if necessary.
Kyrgyzstan also hosts four other Russian military facilities.
MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti)
