BISHKEK. Jan 18 (Interfax-AVN) -Chief-of-Staff of the French Armed Forces Jean-Pierre Kelche will make a working tour through several Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan next week, a military diplomat told Interfax- Military News Agency on Friday.
The Bishkek airport will soon host some 60 planes of the anti-terrorist coalition including six French Mirage aircraft.
During his visit to Tajikistan Kelche will study the progress of restoration of the Ayni military airfield located 15km south-east of Dushanbe. The airfield restoration was initiated by France in the interests of the anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. French specialists have examined the airfield's current condition and estimated the volume of works.
Following that Kelche will visit Afghanistan where the French marines are serving as part of the international peacekeeping forces. The French contingent within the forces amounts to over 500 people.
Kelche visited Moscow in mid-December 2001 to negotiate with his Russian counterpart Anatoly Kvashnin on the current state of bilateral relations in the military sphere as well as on the progress of anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan and combating international terrorism.