Kazakhstan continues to push for its rights at Baikonur

Published: 5/19/1999

According to Interfax, Mr Kasymzhomart Tokayev, Kazakh Foreign Affairs Minister, has called for a “critical assessment" of agreements signed between Altana and Moscow on leasing the Baikonur space vehicle-launching site. Mr Tokayev considers it imperative that the facilities of the space vehicle launching site should be inventoried, the matter of Kazakh specialists" access to Baikonur resolved, and attention focused on settling environmental issues. He added that it was also important to consider Kazakhstan"s participation in international launches from the space vehicle-launching site. Mr Tokayev"s comments follow in the wake of the dismissal, by President Boris Yeltsin, of Mr Yevgeniy Primakov, former Russian Prime Minister. Kazakh government ministers described cooperation between Kazkhstan and the Russian Federation as “favourable".

Article ID: 524