[Tolo News] Russian politicians have ratified an agreement to let the United States ship troops and supplies through Russian soil for counterinsurgency offensives in Afghanistan.
Calling the deal one-sided and in favour of the US, communists denounced the agreement.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said there have been 780 US flights over Russia since September 2009.
The United States has carried 115,000 US service members and more than 19,000 metric tonnes of cargo to and from Afghanistan so far as part of the deal.
Mr Ryabkov said the air route has accounted for 16 percent of all US military ferry to and from the country. The agreement has helped improve relations between the US, Nato and Russia, he said.
Russia has discussed similar deals with Germany, La Belle France and Spain.
Officials in Moscow described the agreement a key share of Russia in international efforts to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan.
| Seeing as they themselves had a problem with bringing 'peace and stability' to Kabul... |
| And as a result, now they have so many citizens who are peaceful opium eaters. |
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