Russia's defense minister on Wednesday pledged "large investment" in Kyrgyzstan to boost security and military ties with this Central Asian nation, which hosts U.S. troops, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia was determined to expand cooperation with the ex-Soviet republic, where it has a small air base. "We are planning a large amount of investment in Kyrgyzstan," Ivanov said in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, according to ITAR-Tass. On his part, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev expressed hope on Wednesday that his country's military cooperation with Russia would continue to develop "dynamically and effectively," ITAR-Tass said.
