BISHKEK. June 19 (Interfax) - Claims that Kyrgyz military helicopters are allegedly involved in hostilities in Somalia are not true and are aimed at discrediting Kyrgyzstan's former president and leader of the Kyrgyz Social Democratic Party, Almazbek Atambayev, party spokesperson Kunduz Zholdubayeva said on Monday.
"The scandal over the helicopters and Somalia stems from an unfair distortion of certain facts and the concealment of other facts. As a matter of fact, it is such a sophisticated piece of fake news," Zholdubayeva said.
"The helicopters stayed in Kyrgyzstan. It is clear that the main objective here is to once again cast a shadow on the ex-president's reputation, at the same time referring to the ex-defense minister, who was dismissed for misappropriating state funds on a large scale," she said.
"The reports just briefly mention that the contract was never concluded. The helicopters did not leave Kyrgyzstan. Unfortunately, it is not the first time we have encountered such a deliberate campaign aimed at discrediting the former president and his inner circle. We announce officially that the abovementioned reports are just another attempt to besmirch former President Almazbek Atambayev," Zholdubayeva said.
Ata-Meken (Homeland) opposition faction MP Kanybek Imanaliyev said at a parliamentary session on June 14, citing his own sources, that Kyrgyz helicopters provided by Russia as part of military-technical cooperation with Bishkek were involved in military action in some African countries, including Somalia and Uganda.
The Kyrgyz General Staff denied Imanaliyev's claims.
"No helicopter has left the country. The entire fleet is at its permanent airbases and is engaged in routine work to ensure the defense capability of Kyrgyzstan," a Kyrgyz General Staff spokesman told Interfax.