MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian government is ready to discuss at high-level talks the payment of pensions to former servicemen living in the Kazakh town of Baikonur, a source in the administration of the State Duma defense committee told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
The source cited the Russian government's response to the parliamentary enquiry "Concerning Non-Payment of Pensions to Citizens of the Russian Federations who Have Been in Military Service and Are Currently Residing in Bauikonur, Republic of Kazakhstan."
The State Duma lower house of Russian parliament sent the enquiry to Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov because about 1,300 Russian citizens residing in Baikonur, mostly former servicemen, were not paid pensions in 2002.
The Kazakh government made a unilateral decision to stop payment of pensions to these people starting from January 1, 2002. This was done in violation of the agreement on pension provision to servicemen and their families and state insurance of servicemen signed by the CIS member nations on May 15, 1992. The position did not change after the CIS Economic Court ruled on June 24, 2002, that Kazakhstan is to pay the pensions to those people.
"Regardless of numerous requests of the Russian Foreign Ministry to comply with the decision of the CIS Economic Court as soon as possible (notes dated August 5 and November 1, 2002), the Republic of Kazakhstan has not confirmed its intention to comply with the decision and not taken any measures to restore provision of pensions to servicemen of the town of Baikonur," Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko wrote in the government's response.
"In case the position of the Republic of Kazakhstan is not determined in the near future, provision of pensions to servicemen of the town of Baikonur will be offered for discussion at high-level talks," Khristenko wrote.