President Vladimir Putin has sent a bill on the ratification of a Russian-Kazakh agreement on the use of the Baikonur complex to the State Duma, the main chamber of the Russian parliament, for approval, the Kremlin's presidential press service said.

The agreement was signed in the Kazakh capital Jan. 9, 2004.

The bill will provide the funds for Russia to continue operating the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for national and international space projects, Interfax said.

Its purpose is to streamline the financing of the Cosmodrome's technical and launching facilities and guarantee a stable flow of foreign investments, Interfax said.

The agreement also calls for the creation of an ecologically safe space rocket complex called Baiterek designed along the lines of Russia's Angara complex, the news agency said.

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