The challenges and threats in the Central Asian region are growing, Russia and Kyrgyzstan need to respond to them appropriately. Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov stated during talks with Defense Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Mukambetov, which took place in Bishkek.
«Of course, we live in a situation of instability, global instability. Unfortunately, we are witnessing a decline in the level of security, including in the Central Asian region. Both in the CSTO space and in our bilateral relations, we should certainly treat those threats that arise in the most careful manner. Unfortunately, there are more and more of them,» he said.
The Russian Defense Minister also emphasized that the Russian Federation and the Kyrgyz Republic «are connected not just by friendship, not just by allied relations.»
«We share a common history, to a large extent a common destiny. This year is special for us — it is the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is our common Victory,» he noted.
In turn, Ruslan Mukambetov praised the level of relations with Russia in the military sphere.
«I would like to note with satisfaction that relations between the military departments of our countries are at a high level. Very active work is carried out in all spheres of interaction both in bilateral and multilateral formats,» he said.
During the talks, the sides discussed issues of bilateral military and military-technical cooperation. They approved the Program of Strategic Partnership between Russia and Kyrgyzstan in the military field for 2026-2030.