Azerbaijan, Baku, Jan. 25 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
Kazakhstan will not stop cooperation with Russia on Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov told Russian newspaper Commersant.
"Russia is a major space power. Therefore, any arguments and assertions regarding stopping cooperation are preposterous," Idrisov said.
Earlier Russia sent two official notes on Baikonur to Kazakhstan. The first note demanded to explain the statements of the head of Kazakh Space Agency Talgat Musabayev. In the second note Russia informed Kazakhstan it can stop working on all the joint projects if Astana will not permit all launches planned by the Russian party from the cosmodrome.
Idrisov said the statements of Talgat Musabayev were misunderstood by the journalists.
"You know, a complicated area requires specific knowledge. The comments of the journalists were so absurd that it was even hard for us to respond to them," the Minister said.
Musabayev said currently Kazakhstan and Russia should take common measures to exploit the potential of Baikonur fully and ensure its further technological development.
"The Presidents of our countries appreciate and cherish Baikonur as a symbol of our close and mutually beneficial cooperation. Cosmodrome is a project focusing on the future. I hope there will be no more unresolved issues in this sphere," Idrisov said.
Earlier Kazakhstan allowed Russia to launch only 12 Proton-M carrier rockets from Baikonur in 2013 instead of the 17 requested launches. The Kazakh party explains the restriction by negative environmental impact of the launches.
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) and is managed jointly by the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Russian Space Forces. Under the current Russian space program, Baikonur remains a busy space port, with numerous commercial, military and scientific missions being launched annually.