BISHKEK. July 20 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan has spent more than $1.3 billion over the past two and a half years on procuring weapons and materiel for its Armed Forces, head of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiyev said.
"More than 120 billion som ($1.36 billion) has been spent over the past two and a half years on purchases of new weapons and materiel for the country's Armed Forces," Tashiyev said at a government meeting on Thursday.
The purchase of advanced weapons, including Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles, Pechora air defense missile systems and Mil Mi-8 and Mi-18 helicopters, was funded by the country's budget, he said.
The first Turkish Bayraktar TB2 attack drones were delivered to the Border Service of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security in December 2021. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov opened a Border Service drone base on September 13, 2022.
Tashiyev said on social media on October 12, 2022 that Kyrgyzstan had purchased Bayraktar Akinci attack drones from Turkey.
Kyrgyz presidential administration spokesperson Daiyrbek Orunbayev said on social media on January 17 that Kyrgyzstan had also bought Anka and Aksungur drones from Turkey.
Kyrgyzstan became the first Collective Security Treaty Organization member country to buy Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles.