BISHKEK. Feb 19 (Interfax-AVN) - Kyrgyzstan's ties with Russia and the members of the Collective Security Treaty are helping to effectively ensure Kyrgyzstan's military security, Kyrgyz Defense Minister Esen Topoyev told Interfax.
"Constructive cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Defense Ministry within the CIS Collective Security Treaty has promoted the creation of a reliable system of collective and regional security, which considerably lowered the possible threats of attack against the republic by international terrorist groups," Topoyev said.
"An example of effective cooperation is the Collective Rapid Deployment Force of the CIS Collective Security Treaty and the creation of an aviation component," he said.
"The assistance in arms trade provided by the Russian Federation to the republic's armed forces is very important. In the past 11 years, 668 Kyrgyz officers were trained in Russian military educational establishments and in the countries of the Collective Security Treaty," Topoyev said.
"We will develop bilateral relations with the U.S., China and the countries of the anti-terror coalition," Topoyev said.