DUSHANBE, February 27, 2015, Asia-Plus -- The First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Army General Arkady Bakhin, arrived in Dushanbe yesterday evening on a two-day working visit, according to the Tajik MFA information department.

Today, high-ranking military officials is scheduled to hold talks with Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon to discuss military and technical cooperation between the countries and the progress of implementation of agreements reached earlier, an official source at the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan (MoD) told Asia-Plus in an interview.

Bakhin was born May 8, 1956 in Kaunas, Lithuanian SSR. He graduated from the Moscow Higher Command School named after the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (1973–1977), Frunze Academy (1984–1987), Military Academy of the General Staff of Armed Forces (1995–1997).

After graduation from the Military Academy of the General Staff of Armed Forces, he served as the commander of Russian military base in Transcaucasia, commander of motorized rifle division in the North Caucasian Military District, Chief of Staff / First Deputy Commander of the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia.  From 2002 to 2004, Bakhin served as the Deputy Commander of the North Caucasian Military District.

From 2004 — the Commander of Combined-Arms Army in the Siberian Military District and from January 2006 — the Deputy Commander of the Siberian Military District.  From July 2007 – the Chief of Staff / First Deputy Commander of the Siberian Military District.  From December 2008 — the Commander of the Volga-Urals Military District.  From July 2012 — the Acting Commander of the Western Military District.  From October 2012 — the Commander of the Western Military District.

By president’s decree of November 9, 2012 Arkady Bakhin was appointed the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.