BAIKONUR LEASED.

Kazakhstan and Russia have exchanged instruments of ratification of the agreement to lease Kazakhstan’s Baikonur space launching site to Russia. The lease runs for 20 years at an annual rent of $115 million, and will be extended automatically unless expressly denounced by one of the parties. (15)

Kazakhstan has said that it intends to apply the proceeds of the lease toward repayment of its state debt to Russia. The launching site is being administered from the mainly Russian town Leninsk which has recently been given a virtually extraterritorial status within Kazakhstan.

1. Reuter and Interfax, September 25

2. Russia’s Radio, Public TV, Itar-Tass, September 24.

3. Russian TV, Moscow’s Echo radio, Itar-Tass, September 24-25.

4. Russia’s Radio, September 25.

5. Russia’s Radio, September 25.

6. Interfax, September 23.

7. Izvestiya, September 21; Security, No. 3, 1995; Biznes i bezopasnost’ Rossii No. 1, 1995.

8. Interfax, September 24.

9. Russian TV, NTV, Itar-Tass, September 23.

10. Reuter, September 25.

11. Reuter, September 25.

12. Financial Information Agency, September 25.

13. Interfax, September 25.

14. Interfax, September 23 and 25.

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