Russia says it has no plans to establish any new foreign military bases, reports RIA Novosti:
"He [Defense Minister Anatoly Serdykov] said it is a luxury. We already have four military bases abroad. Building more bases would be too burdensome," said Viktor Ozerov, the head of the Federation Council's committee on defense and security.
Four military bases? The story counts facilities in Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine (Crimea), South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Which omits at least two major bases that I can think of, in Tajikistan and Armenia. So are those not strictly "bases"? Also, if Russia had more money, it would want more bases, Ozerov continued:
Ozerov said Russia would like to have a permanent naval base in the Gulf of Aden to support its anti-piracy missions in the region, but Moscow cannot afford to finance this project at present.
Sounds like a good amount of wiggle room there.
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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