Russia rules out air corridor for combat aircraft
MOSCOW, Oct 10 (UNI) Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov has ruled out the possibility of Russia providing air corridors for combat aircraft of the member-countries of the anti-terrorist coalition.
"Combat aeroplanes are out of the question," said the minister at a meeting of the federation council.
Ivanov confirmed that Russia "Is prepared to provide its air corridors only for transport aircraft which will be delivering humanitarian aid to the area of the anti-terrorist operation", reports Novosti.
Meanwhile, a group of Russian defence ministry generals has left for tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, for "Coordinating actions by law enforcers of russia and its partners within the anti-terror coalition, primarily Uzbekistan and Tajikistan," Ivanov said.
According to him, such an agreement was reached by the presidents of Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The minister noted that the analysis of the military and political developments in Afghanistan and in the entire region is among the major tasks to be fulfilled by the Russian defence ministry representatives.
An "Inter-departmental coordination group" has also been set up in Russia under the aegis of the defence ministry, Ivanov said.
The group includes representatives of all law enforcement structures, the foreign ministry and the ministry for emergency situations.
Apart from military issues, the group will address humanitarian problems related to the international anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan.
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