Russian, Kyrgyz Presidents To Meet In Moscow

Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is set to hold talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambaev, in Moscow.

Atambaev, who arrived in the Russian capital on February 23 on a three-day working visit, is looking to attract more Russian business to his country, especially in the mining and energy sectors.

According to Kyrgyz officials, bilateral trade amounted to $1.7 billion in 2011.

Ahead of his arrival in Moscow, Atambaev said he would press Russia's leaders to pay money owed for using military facilities on Kyrgyz soil.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a Russian long-distance communication center, a torpedo testing base at Lake Issyk-Kul, and a seismological station in the southern Jalal-Abad region.

Kyrgyzstan also hosts U.S. military facilities at the Manas Airport near Bishkek, for which Washington pays rent.

Based on Reuters reporting