ZHELEZNODORZHNY (Moscow region), April 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russian and NATO airforce pilots can oppose the common threat of terrorism in Central Asia, Vladimir Mikhailov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force, told journalists on Wednesday.
He supported the development of interaction between the Russian military base in Kant (Kyrgyzstan) and the antiterrorist NATO divisions deployed 40 kilometers away in Manas.
"We can certainly cooperate," he said. "If a terrorist group appears somewhere in the region, we are capable of destroying it quickly and with minimal exertion from both parties." Speaking about the condition of the Russian airbase in the Kant, Mikhailov said that it is in combat ready condition. "After the second runway was repaired, the base can handle all types of military aircraft," he said.
The Russian airbase in Kant was put into operation in the fall of 2003.
