TASHKENT. Feb 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Embassy in Tashkent has prioritized the expansion of military ties and arms trade with Uzbekistan.
"It is a priority in our work," Ambassador Dmitry Ryurikov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Wednesday. Russia and Uzbekistan are linked by a broad complex of military ties, Ryurikov said. "Its scale is only restricted by current financial possibilities," he said. The unveiling of an office of the Rosoboronexport state-owned arms trader has reaffirmed the stability of bilateral ties, he said.
"Russia supplies Uzbekistan with various types of arms and military equipment. Uzbek officers are undergoing training in Russian military institutions. We are talking about dozens of people. Delegations exchange visits and the two countries' military representatives are engaged in joint activities," he said.
Chief-of-Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Anatoly Kvashnin, Airborne Commander Georgy Shpak, then head of the Defense Ministry main international military cooperation department Leonid Ivashov and other Russian military officials visited Uzbekistan last year. The level of military cooperation between the two nations is quite high, the ambassador said.
Prospects of military and military-technical cooperation between Russia and Uzbekistan largely depend on Russia, Ryurikov said. Unfortunately, the parties have failed to come to an understanding on some projects, including the Tashkent-based Chkalov aircraft production association's operation on foreign markets.
"The talks have been in progress for a long time, and I think there are all prerequisites for fruitful cooperation. However economic entities cannot work out a pattern of joint activity, even though there are markets and orders," the ambassador stressed.
"Uzbekistan is an open market. For instance, a contract on the supply of 200 Russian tractors made by the Altai tractor plant was implemented in 2001. This cooperation in production, procurement and servicing will continue," Ryurikov said.
Speaking about Uzbekistan's withdrawal from the CIS Collective Security Treaty, the ambassador said the nation's pull- out of an interstate alliance means that it is not satisfied with something. "We have to analyze causes of the dissatisfaction and find out reasons behind this decision," he said.
According to Ryurikov, Uzbekistan is fully involved in the international anti-terrorist operation in Central Asia. "The government of the Uzbek Republic has provided a possibility to deliver humanitarian cargoes through its territory to the nations involved in the anti-terrorist coalition. The nation hosts several military contingents, mostly of the U.S. Armed Forces, intended for assistance in further delivery of cargoes to their destination. Groups of French and German servicemen have come here, too, the ambassador said.
This is done to back up humanitarian operations, he noted. The Uzbek party has prepared for cargo transportation the bridge across the Amu-Daria River for the same purposes. The terminal for people and cargo transportation in the town of Termez has been demothballed and measures have been taken to ensure its sufficient carrying capacity, Ryurikov said.
This only concerns humanitarian cargo, "I do not have information on anything else," the ambassador stressed.