Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 26
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
Russia and Kazakhstan signed the concept of further cooperation on Baikonur Cosmodrome and agreed on changes to the agreement between the two countries on the special status of the city of Baikonur located next to the Cosmodrome, RIA Novosti reported.
The documents were signed after a meeting of Russian and Kazakh presidents, Vladimir Putin and Nursultan Nazarbayev in St. Petersburg Dec. 26.
The concept of further cooperation in Baikonur was signed by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin and Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Mamin.
The protocol amending the agreement on the city of Baikonur was signed by Head of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos Igor Komarov and Kazakhstan’s Minister of Defense and Aerospace Industry Beibut Atamkulov.
The Baikonur Cosmodrome is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan. It is leased by the Kazakh government to Russia, currently until 2050. Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains a busy space port with numerous commercial, military and scientific missions being launched annually.