DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY August 10, 2010 - Kyrgyzstan Denies New U.S. Base Talks

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY August 10, 2010 - Kyrgyzstan Denies New U.S. Base Talks

* Kyrgyzstan after ousting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev

Source: DTN News / RIA Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - August 10, 2010: The Kyrgyz interim government is not negotiating with the United States on the establishment of a new military base in the republic, government spokesman Farid Niyazov said on Monday. The Washington Post reported on Saturday that the United States is planning to move ahead with construction of a $10 million military training base in Osh, called "the Osh Polygon." It said discussions continued "under the new Kyrgyz president, Roza Otunbayeva, with whose government Washington is trying to broaden relationships." "The interim government is conducting no negotiations with the United States on this subject. President Roza Otunbayeva has repeatedly stated that this decision will be the prerogative of a popularly elected parliament," Niyazov said. Parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan have been set for this coming fall. Defense Ministry spokesperson Aizada Igibayev said reports "about the establishment of a U.S. military base in the republic are at odds with the facts." The Washington Post said Osh Polygon will consist of "a secure garrison compound with officers' quarters and barracks for enlisted personnel, plus range facilities, firing pistols, rifles, crew-served weapons and explosive ordnance." It said so far this year, the United States has contributed $45 million to the Kyrgyz government and paid $13 million in fees for use of the Manas Base, "a key facility aiding the war in Afghanistan." Washington recently pledged an additional $8.6 million in humanitarian assistance to the Bishkek government as its contribution at a World Bank donors conference.

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DTN News: U.S. ~ No Objections To Russian Base In Kyrgyzstan

DTN News: U.S. ~ No Objections To Russian Base In Kyrgyzstan

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - July 13, 2009: The United States has no objections to Russia opening a second military base in Kyrgyzstan, a senior U.S. diplomat said July 12 during a visit to the Central Asian nation. The comments came two days after a Kyrgyz government source said the country had agreed to let Russia open a new military base, a move that has been seen as a response to Kyrgyzstan's decision not to close a U.S. airbase. "Any such decision is obviously the sovereign right of the government of Kyrgyzstan," U.S. Undersecretary of State William Burns told reporters, when asked about the possibility of a new Russian base. "Our view is that any step that strengthens the sovereignty and independence and security of Kyrgyzstan is a sensible one," Burns said at a press conference in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. A Kyrgyz government source told AFP on July 10 that Russia had won permission to open a base in Osh, a city in southern Kyrgyzstan, which would operate under the auspices of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). The CSTO is a security grouping of Russia and six former Soviet republics that Moscow has touted as a counterweight to NATO. The decision to host a new Russian base came shortly after Kyrgyzstan agreed to let U.S. forces remain at the Manas air base outside Bishkek, used to support operations in Afghanistan, effectively reversing a previous decision. In February, Kyrgyzstan ordered Manas to close in a decision widely believed to have been made under Russian pressure. Moscow has long been uncomfortable with the presence of U.S. troops in ex-Soviet Central Asia. Some media reports have suggested that Moscow was angered by Kyrgyzstan's reversal, and Russia's Kommersant newspaper wrote July 11 that the Kremlin hoped to save face by opening the new base in Osh. "Moscow's ambition to open a new base in Kyrgyzstan is something of a response to the actions of the United States, which recently managed to maintain its military presence in Manas," Kommersant wrote. If Moscow opens a new base in Osh, it would be the second Russian base in Kyrgyzstan, after the Kant airbase outside Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan is the only country in the world to house both Russian and U.S. bases. Neither Moscow nor Bishkek have confirmed the reports about the new base, which emerged after a high-level Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Anatoly Serdykov and Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechon visited Kyrgyzstan. Separately, Russia's RIA-Novosti news agency reported that the government of Kyrgyzstan's neighbor Uzbekistan opposes the creation of a new Russian military base in Osh, which is close to the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. "Tashkent is categorically against the creation of new foreign military bases in border states," an unnamed senior Uzbek government official told RIA-Novosti on July 12, singling out reports of the new Russian base in Osh. The border region of Uzbekistan close to Osh has seen violent attacks in recent weeks, including a suicide bombing and shootouts, which the Uzbek government blamed on militants that crossed over from Kyrgyzstan.

DTN News: U.S.-Kyrgyz Deal Allows Military Cargo Shipment

DTN News: U.S.-Kyrgyz Deal Allows Military Cargo Shipment

*Sources: DTN News / Defense Media / AFP

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - June 26, 2009: A new agreement that allows the U.S. to retain a key air base in Kyrgyzstan will still let it ship military cargo as it did before, a senior U.S. official told AFP on June 25. US welcomes Kyrgyz base agreementThe United States on Tuesday welcomed a deal with Kyrgyzstan on the transit of supplies to Afghanistan that will effectively keep open a US airbase that Kyrgyz authorities had ordered shut. "We're happy about the agreement," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters. The Central Asian state had thrown a wrench into US President Barack Obama's plan to intensify the campaign against the Taliban when it ordered the closure of the Manas airbase, a key transit point for Afghanistan operations. But Kelly said: "I don't have the details of... what was spelled out financially in the agreement," when asked to confirm whether the United States was now paying three times as much as before. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev said Washington would pay Bishkek 60 million dollars per year for renting the base, a significant increase on the previous annual rent of 17.4 million dollars. The deal involves non-lethal supplies like building materials, food and medicine, clothing and water, officials said. Bishkek had long complained that it was not receiving a fair rent for Manas, which also serves as the ex-Soviet republic's main international airport. The United States would also pay Kyrgyzstan more than 36 million dollars for improvements in infrastructure at Manas and 30 million dollars for new navigational equipment, Sarbayev said. On top of that, Washington pledged 20 million dollars for development in Kyrgyzstan; 21 million dollars for fighting drug traffickers; and 10 million for fighting terrorism, he said. Sarbayev called the deal "temporary" and said it would be in effect for a period of one year. The Kyrgyz parliament was expected to vote Thursday on ratifying the deal. Manas airbase is used to ferry tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year and also hosts planes used for the mid-air refuelling of combat aircraft. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said that despite reports to the contrary, the U.S. air base at Manas would continue to be used to send military cargo to Afghanistan. "It still will allow us to transit the kinds of cargo with logistical support and personnel that we need," he told AFP on the sidelines of a NATO regional security summit being held in Kazakhstan's capital Astana. "It's a broad umbrella and it includes what we have been doing under the previous agreement." Kyrgyzstan - an impoverished Central Asian state - changed course this week after ordering the U.S. base to close in February, a decision that would have been a blow to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan to defeat the Taliban. Under the agreement, which was ratified by the Kyrgyz parliament June 23, Washington will more than triple the rent it pays for the base as part of a financial compensation package worth about $177 million. Kyrgyzstan had long complained that the rent it was receiving for the base was too low. The key functions of the Manas Air Base are the ferrying of tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year and the hosting of planes used for the mid-air refueling of combat aircraft. Under the new agreement, the U.S. official said, those operations would continue, effectively putting to rest months of diplomatic wrangling as Washington sought to firm up its Afghan supply routes. A majority of 75 lawmakers in the 90-member Kyrgyz parliament voted to let the U.S. maintain a "transit center" at the air base, which sits just outside the capital Bishkek. None voted against the agreement, which was signed by U.S. and Kyrgyz officials earlier this week. Since the agreement was announced, Kyrgyz officials have publicly insisted that it amounts to a base closure and that from now on Manas will only be used for the transit of "non-military" goods. "This is no longer a military airbase, the coalition soldiers must leave now. The dismantling of the base infrastructure can begin," said Kabai Karabekov, a lawmaker from the country's ruling Ak Zhol party. "This is nothing more than a corridor for transit," he added, speaking after Thursday's ratification vote. But despite Karabekov's comments about evicting soldiers, the agreement allows U.S. personnel to remain and Kyrgyz officials have said they will be permitted to carry weapons. And in fact, the agreement places no restrictions on what U.S. forces may ship through it. The U.S. government and its personnel may bring "any form of personal property, equipment, provisions, materials, technology" into and out of Kyrgyzstan, according to the text ratified by parliament. Moreover, U.S. flights into and out of Manas may not by be searched by Kyrgyz authorities, the agreement says. Kyrgyzstan announced that it would evict the U.S. air base in February, on the same day that Moscow promised more than two billion dollars in loans and aid to the ex-Soviet republic. Moscow has long complained about the presence of U.S. military bases in Central Asia, which it says lays within what President Dmitry Medvedev has called Russia's privileged sphere of influence.

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan Should Play 'Active Role' In Afghanistan ~ France

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan Should Play 'Active Role' In Afghanistan ~ France *Sources: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) PARIS, France - June 25, 2009: France on Monday joined the growing chorus of voices urging Kyrgyzstan to cooperate with NATO forces in nearby Afghanistan, as the deadline for the closure of a key US airbase on its territory looms. U.S. Air Force KC 135 tanker planes seen parked next to Kyrgyz Tu-134 passenger planes at the airfield of Ganci U.S. air base in Manas international airport 30 km (19 miles) from the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek. France's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Pierre Lellouch appealed to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, whose government is just weeks away from evicting the US airbase at Manas, to help stabilise its war-torn neighbour. "France hopes that Kyrgyzstan, in concert with the forces of the international community, continues to play an active role in the process of establishing peace in Afghanistan," he said in a statement released by Bakiyev's office. Kyrgyzstan has ordered US forces to quit the US airbase at Manas -- which is used to support operations in Afghanistan -- by August 18 in a decision widely seen as made under pressure from Moscow. But a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent weeks -- including a direct appeal from Afghan President Hamid Karzai to keep the base open -- has caused intense speculation over the fate of the base. Kyrgyzstan appeared to soften its position on Friday, when it became the last of the five Central Asian states to offer to open its territory for the transit of non-lethal cargo to Afghanistan. Manas is used to ferry tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year. The loss of the base would deal a major blow to coalition military efforts at a time when US President Barack Obama is seeking to boost the campaign against the Taliban.

DTN News: Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Kyrgyzstan: Let U.S. Air Base Stay Open

DTN News: Afghan President Hamid Karzai to Kyrgyzstan: Let U.S. Air Base Stay Open

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - June 7, 2009: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked Kyrgyzstan to change its position on the future of a key U.S. air base which Bishkek has ordered closed, a Kyrgyz official said June 6. Kyrgyzstan voted in March to evict U.S.-led coalition forces from the airbase at Manas, a vital hub for the U.S. military and NATO allies and used to ferry troops and supplies in and out of conflict-torn Afghanistan. Maksim Kaganer, deputy head of the Kyrgyz presidential secretariat, told the Azattyk radio that Karzai sent a letter to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev requesting him to reconsider the decision. "He is asking Mr Bakiyev to show support to the people of Afghanistan in the fight with terrorism and allow the future use of the Manas base for international forces carrying out operations in Afghanistan." A source in Kyrgyzstan's foreign ministry told AFP that Karzai has offered to take part in one-on-one discussions with Bakiyev, possibly at a regional security summit meeting in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg this month. "The key themes will be questions of providing assistance in the reconstruction of Afghanistan and the anti-terrorist coalition force at Manas based on Kyrgyz territory," the source said. The Kyrgyz government had announced it was evicting the U.S. military after Moscow agreed to provide more than $2 billion of loans and aid to the impoverished former Soviet republic. Since the closure was announced, Washington has secured transit routes for non-lethal cargo through several other Central Asian states, but the agreements do not address the problem of troop and military material transport.

DTN News: Russian Govt. Approves Kyrgyz Airbase Lease Extension To 49 Years

DTN News: Russian Govt. Approves Kyrgyz Airbase Lease Extension To 49 Years

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - May 29, 2009: The Russian government has approved the 49-year term of its lease of an airbase in Kyrgyzstan, with an automatic prolongation every 25 years. The modified agreement, which was agreed on between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Kyrgyz authorities, will replace the existing deal, which specifies a 15-year lease with an automatic extension every 5 years. The document will soon be forwarded to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for signing. Russia established in October 2003 its airbase in Kant, about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital. The Russian base currently deploys about 400 troops, as well as 20 combat and transport planes, helicopters, and L-39 trainers. Russian troops are stationed at Kant under an agreement in the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) - a regional security bloc in Central Asia, which also includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The Kant base is intended to provide air cover for possible operations by CSTO joint forces in Central Asia. Russia annually pays some $4.5 million to Kyrgyzstan for the lease of military facilities and also provides Bishkek with military and technical equipment as part of the lease agreements. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a decree in February to close down the U.S. Ganci airbase at Manas airport located 30 kilometers (17 miles) east of the capital, Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan officially notified Washington of the termination of the agreement on a U.S. military presence at the base, and gave it 180 days to withdraw some 1,200 personnel, aircraft and other equipment. In April, Bakiyev signed a law ending the deployment of foreign military contingents from Australia, Denmark, Italy, Spain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Turkey and France, at Manas.

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY May 12, 2009 - US C-17 Military Transport Plane At U.S. Manas Air Base In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan May 8, 2009

DTN News: Kyrgyzstan TODAY May 12, 2009 - US C-17 Military Transport Plane At U.S. Manas Air Base In Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan May 8, 2009

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - May 12, 2009: US C-17 military plane with American servicemen aboard seen before taking off to Afghanistan at U.S. Manas air base in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Friday, May 8, 2009.

Kyrgyzstan has ordered the United States to leave the facility by August 18, dashing plans to use it as thousands more troops prepare to pour into Afghanistan.

Russian Attack Aircraft To Join Military Drills In Kyrgyzstan

Russian Attack Aircraft To Join Military Drills In Kyrgyzstan

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - April 25, 2009: Russian Su-25 Frogfoot close air support aircraft will take part on Saturday in the active phase of the military exercises conducted by Kyrgyzstan's Armed Forces, the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry said. The Sukhoi Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Soviet Republic of Georgia. NATO assigned the new aircraft the reporting name "Frogfoot". Russian pilots nicknamed it "Grach" ("Rook"). Kyrgyzstan is holding Security-2009 tactical exercises in the south of the country, which involve over 500 servicemen, armored vehicles self-propelled artillery and aircraft. The exercises with live-firing drills are aimed at practicing counterterrorism operations. "A flight of Su-25 attack aircraft from the Kant airbase and Kyrgyz Air Force Mi-24 helicopters will provide aerial fire support during the drills, the ministry said in a statement. The Russian base in Kant, about 20 miles west of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, was established in October 2003, and currently deploys about 400 troops, including 250 officers and NCOs and 150 conscripts, as well as several Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft and Su-27 Flanker fighters, two Mi-8 combat transport helicopters, and four L-39 combat trainers. The 2003 bilateral agreement between Russia and Kyrgyzstan stipulates the presence of the Kant air base in the Central Asian republic for 15 years with an automatic extension every five years after the expiration of the original term. The Kant base is intended to provide air cover for possible operations by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) joint forces in Central Asia. The CSTO comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Earlier this year, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev issued a decree to close the only U.S. base in Central Asia, located at Manas international airport near the capital, Bishkek, following talks in Moscow when he reportedly secured more than $2 billion in aid and loans. Both Russia and Kyrgyzstan have denied any link between the aid deal and the closure of the U.S. base.

U.S. Spies On China From Kyrgyz Base: Russian TV

U.S. Spies On China From Kyrgyz Base: Russian TV

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - April 6, 2009: Russian state television accused the United States on Sunday of spying on China and Russia after secretly turning its only remaining air base in Central Asia into a state-of-the-art surveillance center. A U.S. defense official dismissed the allegations as ridiculous on Friday, when Rossiya television, widely seen as an official mouthpiece in Russia, released a clip of the documentary it aired on Sunday about the Manas base. Kyrgyz and U.S. officials could not be reached for comment late on Sunday. Kyrgyzstan told Washington in February to close the base near the capital Bishkek, used to send supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, after it secured a $2 billion economic aid package from Russia. The Americans are due to leave in August. Airing the documentary, called "Base," Rossiya showed a compound of two-storey windowless buildings, and said: "In one of the buildings ... there is a multi-channel, multi-functional system of radio-electronic surveillance. "This station can eavesdrop the whole world -- every fax, every e-mailed letter. Every call from a mobile or landline phone is being recorded and processed. Billions of messages are being intercepted." It said: "At Manas, the U.S. built a station which controls entire Central Asia, parts of China and Siberia. For Americans, the existence of the intelligence complex at the base is more important than the runway. It was done in a treacherous way, without being endorsed by the Kyrgyz authorities." Airing the film just days after President Dmitry Medvedev's first meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to raise speculation of tensions within Russia's elite. The U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity of Friday, noted the TV report surfaced just as U.S. and Kyrgyz officials had resumed dialogue over the base's future. The film was made by Russian journalist Arkady Mamontov, who in 2006 provoked a spat between London and Moscow with a documentary showed that pictures of what Mamontov said were British spies using a fake rock to gather secrets electronically.

U.S. To Talk With Kyrgyzstan On Keeping Manas

U.S. To Talk With Kyrgyzstan On Keeping Manas

(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW - March 27, 2009: Kyrgyzstan has invited the U.S. to discuss retaining the Manas Air Base outside Bishkek that serves as a key supply route to Afghanistan, a senior U.S. official said in Moscow on March 27. "We've agreed to enter into discussions with the Kyrgyz at their invitation on the possibility of the agreement (on the air base remaining in force)," the official, who asked not to be named, said in Moscow. Kyrgyzstan on Feb. 20 officially set in motion the process for closing the airbase at Manas, outside the Kyrgyz capital, by handing the U.S. a 180-day notice to leave the base. The base is a vital support post for U.S. and Western operations, as it is used for ferrying tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year and also hosts planes used for mid-air refueling of combat craft. Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev said on March 26 after talks in Moscow that Kyrgyzstan was not reconsidering its decision to close the U.S. airbase.

U.S. Return To Kyrgyzstan Not On Agenda - Reports

U.S. Return To Kyrgyzstan Not On Agenda - Reports

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - March 26, 2009: Kyrgyzstan is not considering the possibility of U.S. troops returning to the Manas airbase in the north of the country, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said on Thursday. Kyrgyzstan has officially informed Washington of the termination of the agreement on a U.S. military presence at the Manas airbase and has given it 180 days to withdraw some 1,200 personnel, aircraft and other equipment. "We are currently not considering the return of the U.S. [troops] to the base," Kadyrbek Sarbayev said at a news conference in Moscow. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on February 20 a decree to close the Manas airbase, located close to the former Soviet republic's capital of Bishkek. The base, staffed mainly by U.S. Air Force personnel, had been used since 2001 to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan. Bakiyev linked the decision to Washington's refusal to pay more for the base and to the conduct of U.S. military personnel, including the killing of a Kyrgyz national by a U.S. soldier in December 2006.

Kyrgyzstan To Discuss Foreign Troop Pullout From Manas Airbase

Kyrgyzstan To Discuss Foreign Troop Pullout From Manas Airbase

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - March 6, 2009: Kyrgyzstan's parliament is set to discuss on Friday the termination of an agreement with 11 countries on the deployment of their military contingents at the Manas airbase, a parliamentary spokesman said. "The issue has been included in Friday's agenda," he said. On Thursday three main parliamentary committees approved the termination of the agreement. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on February 20 a decree to close the Manas airbase, operated mainly by the U.S. Air Force, in northern Kyrgyzstan. The base had been used since 2001 to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan.

Kyrgyzstan Says U.S. Ready For Airbase Pullout / Russian Are Coming, They Are King Maker In Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan Says U.S. Ready For Airbase Pullout / Russian Are Coming, They Are King Maker In Kyrgyzstan

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - March 5, 2009: Washington has informed Kyrgyz officials of its readiness to start withdrawing its military contingent from the Manas airbase, the Kyrgyz foreign minister said on Thursday. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed on February 20 a decree to close the U.S. Manas airbase in the north of Kyrgyzstan. The base had been used since 2001 to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan. "We have met with the U.S. ambassador, who handed us notification from Washington that they were ready to start the withdrawal," Kadyrbek Sarbayev said during a meeting of parliament's defense committee. The U.S. is to pull out its troops from the base by mid-August. President Bakiyev linked the decision to Washington's refusal to pay more for the base and to the conduct of U.S. military personnel, including the killing of a Kyrgyz national by a U.S. soldier in December 2006. Kyrgyz officials have rejected any connection between the decision and a recent Russian financial aid package under which Russia will write off Kyrgyzstan's $180 million debt and grant the country a $2 billion soft loan and $150 million in financial assistance. Moscow has likewise denied any link. The defense committee in the Kyrgyz parliament approved on Thursday the termination of an agreement with 11 coalition countries on the deployment of their military contingents at Manas airbase.

U.S. Soldiers On R&R To Germany With Stopover At Kyrgyzstan

U.S. Soldiers On R&R To Germany With Stopover At Kyrgyzstan

(NSI News Source Info) March 2, 2009: US soldiers arrived from Afghanistan stand near a plane at the US airbase 30 km outside Bishkek in Manas on February 26, 2009. The soldiers who had been serving with ISAF forces in Afghanistan made a layover on their way to Germany. The United States is still holding out hope for a deal with Kyrgyzstan to avoid the closure of the US military supply base there for Afghanistan even after the Kyrgyz president formalised the shutdown.

U.S. Given Six Months To Vacate Base In Kyrgyzstan, Talks Continue / May Be The Entire Episode Was A Shenanigan By Kyrgyzstan For More Dollars!!!!

U.S. Given Six Months To Vacate Base In Kyrgyzstan, Talks Continue / May Be The Entire Episode Was A Shenanigan By Kyrgyzstan For More Dollars!!!! Kyrgyz villagers are despair as U.S. air base closes. People were shocked to hear that Kyrgyzstan's government had decided to shut the Manas air base -- a vital hub for troops and supplies for the U.S. and NATO campaign in neigbouring Afghanistan and also a main source of income for many local villagers .

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 25, 2009: Kyrgyzstan has given the United States six months to leave Manas Air Base, but discussions continue for a longer U.S. presence there, a Pentagon official said today. The Kyrgyz foreign ministry today officially notified the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek that a 180-day withdrawal process is under way, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. Men talk on a street of Manas village near the U.S. military air base outside Bishkek February 20, 2009. Populated by descendants of nomadic tribes that once roamed the steppes of Eurasia, Kyrgyzstan sprang into the centre of global geopolitics this month when it announced its decision to close Manas, home to about 1,000 military personnel.

But U.S. officials don’t consider the military’s future at Manas, a key logistics hub for military forces in Afghanistan, a “closed matter,” and will continue discussions with Kyrgyzstan about remaining at the base, he said.

“We will continue our discussions with the government for possible continued future use of the base. But we will certainly abide by the agreement that we have with them,” he said. The Kyrgyz order became effective today when President Kurmanbek Bakiyev reportedly signed legislation that the parliament in Bishkek backed yesterday.

The United States pays $17.4 million a year to use Manas Air Base, a major logistical and refueling center that supports troops in Afghanistan. Officials in Washington and Bishkek signed a deal three years ago allowing the United States to renew the arrangement annually through July 2011.

About 15,000 troops and 500 tons of cargo reportedly move through Manas monthly. But Whitman, echoing remarks yesterday by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, said the base is “not irreplaceable,” and that the United States will seek alternate supply routes. “This is an important facility, it has been an important facility, but it’s not irreplaceable and, if necessary, we will find other options,” he said.

Kyrgyz Parliament To Vote On Thursday On US Base

Kyrgyz Parliament To Vote On Thursday On US Base

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - February 19, 2009: Kyrgyzstan's parliament will vote on Thursday on a presidential proposal to close a U.S. air base used as a staging post for U.S. forces fighting in Afghanistan, officials said on Wednesday. A lineup of U.S. air force KC-135 tanker planes seen at the Manas air base in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009. Kyrgyzstan's parliament said Tuesday it will vote this week on a bill to close a U.S. air base that provides key support to military operations in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama's call for an increased military focus on Afghanistan could be hampered both by the potential closure of the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan and increased attacks on the main land route for supplies through Pakistan. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said earlier in February he had decided to close the Manas air base because Washington had refused to pay more rent for it. The parliament in the former Soviet republic is dominated by Bakiyev's party.

US Military Base In Bishkek Airport Kyrgyzstan....CHAPTER CLOSED #2

US Military Base In Bishkek Airport Kyrgyzstan....CHAPTER CLOSED #2

(NSI News Source Info) February 14, 2009: A group of United States service members were packed on a C-17 for a flight from the Manas base in Kyrgyzstan to Afghanistan. Kyrgyzstan has delayed a previously announced decision to close the American base while it continues to negotiate with both the United States and Russia, according to an opposition leader in Parliament.

US Military Base In Bishkek Airport Kyrgyzstan....CHAPTER CLOSED

US Military Base In Bishkek Airport Kyrgyzstan....CHAPTER CLOSED

(NSI News Source Info) February 13, 2009: At Manas US military base in Bishkek airport Kyrgyzstan, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009. Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev last week announced the closure of the base, which is a crucial staging post for coalition operations in Afghanistan. The US began using the Manas base in December 2001.

US military personnel board a military plane at Manas US military base in Bishkek airport Kyrgyzstan on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009.

Kyrgyzstan Says No Proposals From Pentagon On U.S. Airbase

Kyrgyzstan Says No Proposals From Pentagon On U.S. Airbase

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - February 6, 2009: Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov dismissed on Friday media reports that his country had received a set of new proposals from Washington concerning the closure of a U.S. airbase on its territory. U.S. soldiers patrol the air base during American-French joint exercises at the U.S. Manas Air Base, located near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. "I neither met nor talked to representatives of the U.S. embassy. I have received no new proposals," he said. President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced plans to close down the U.S. Manas base, used to support NATO operations in nearby Afghanistan since 2001, after talks on Tuesday in Moscow, where he secured substantial financial aid from Russia. Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov said on Thursday the decision to close the airbase was not connected to the aid. Russia is to write off Kyrgystan's $180 million debt and give the country a $2 billion discounted loan and $150 million in financial assistance. The Kyrgyz government submitted on Wednesday a bill to gain the parliamentary approval needed to proceed with the closure of the base. The parliament, dominated by the pro-presidential Ak Zhol party, is expected to consider the bill next week.

U.S. To Respond To Kyrgyz Base Closure Report - Embassy

U.S. To Respond To Kyrgyz Base Closure Report - Embassy

(NSI News Source Info) BISHKEK - February 4, 2009: The United States will make an official statement on Wednesday on the decision to close its airbase in Kyrgyzstan announced by the Central Asian state's leader yesterday, the U.S. embassy in Bishkek state said. Kurmanbek Bakiyev said in Moscow that he would demand the closure of the U.S. military base used to support antiterrorism operations in neighboring Afghanistan, citing Washington's refusal to discuss higher rental payments and reluctance to address the 2006 killing by a U.S. officer of a Kyrgyz man. At talks with President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday Bakiyev secured deals writing off Kyrgyzstan's $180 million debt and the promise of a $2 billion discounted loan and $150 million in financial aid for the impoverished Kyrgyz republic for years plagued by instability. The Embassy's press service said Kyrgyzstan had so far provided no official documents on the planned closure and the base, home to 1,000 military personnel, was operating as usual. A member of the Communist faction in the Kyrgyz parliament, Iskhak Masaliyev, said on Wednesday the "government should inform the U.S. side of the closure six months in advance." Medvedev said on Tuesday Russia and Kyrgyzstan would continue cooperating with the U.S. on Afghanistan after the closure of the airbase. "We could join our efforts to promote stability in the region, our countries will help the operations underway in the area. We are ready for coordinated action," he said, adding the decision to close the Manas base was Kyrgyzstan's decision.