Kyrgyzstan: American Base Will Close

Kyrgyzstan has confirmed its decision to close a U.S. air base on its territory, one that has been used by NATO and the United States to supply their troops in Afghanistan. The decision was announced earlier this week after Russia promised a financial aid package to Kyrgyzstan worth two billion dollars.

The U.S. Department of Defense insists that negotiations with Kyrgyzstan on the air base’s future are ongoing. In the meantime, Tajikistan declares its willingness to allow the United States to use Tajikistani airspace to transport goods to Afghanistan. According to some American politicians, the United States is about to reach a similar agreement with Uzbekistan in case the air base in Kyrgyzstan is closed. The United States closed the air base used by Uzbekistan in 2005 due to disagreements with local authorities on human rights issues.

It is worth noting that the U.S. base, formerly know as Manas and located near the capital of Bishkek, was the only air base under U.S. control in Central Asia. Manas opened in 2001 to assist U.S. forces in the war against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. It was a vital unit for military operations carried out by U.S. troops and the gateway for coalition troops into Kabul, providing fuel for planes headed to Afghanistan.

However, the Kyrgyzstan government’s spokesman, Epic Sultan Gaziev, said today that the decision to close the air base has been made. The American Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have continued to exchange views on the issue, but these discussions do not address the question of keeping the base open.

President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced the plan to close the air base during his visit to Russia, which also maintains a military base in Kyrgyz territory. Though Moscow did promise financial assistance to Kyrgyzstan that would amount to two billion dollars, it denies any relationship with the decision to close the U.S. air base.

Closing the air base in Kyrgyzstan comes at a time when the United States plans a significant increase of military troops in Afghanistan. Russia, on the other hand, considers the decision to close the U.S. base in Kyrgyzstan a key strategic step in its quest to reinstate its influence in the region, which in the recent past was part of the Soviet Union.