Ulyanovsk held talks with NATO

The press-secretary of the governor of the Ulyanovskaya Oblast, Dmitry Shikov,
confirmed information according to which the authorities of the region had
held talks with NATO representatives on the creation of a trans-shipment
point in the region, RIA-Novosti reports.

The point will be created at "Eastern Ulyanovsk" airport.
The governor said that the point will create thousands of jobs for
local residents. He added that it would also allow graduates of the
Ulyanovsk aviation schools to develop a professional career, which in turn
will facilitate the development of the airbase.

At the same time, the State Duma was informed by the Ministry of Defense
that the trans-shipment point will not be a military base for NATO and the
US. All the shipments will be monitored by Russian customs authorities. The
Ministry of Defense added that the trans-shipment point will be implemented
in the framework of agreements existing between Russia and NATO on the
transit of shipments for international peaceful purposes across the
territory of Russia.