Atambaev Says No Foreign Troops At Manas After 2014

February 20, 2012

by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service

Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambaev has announced at a meeting with visiting U.S. State Department officials that that "no foreign troops" should remain at Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport after 2014.

The United States military pays Kyrgyzstan to use facilities at Manas, near Bishkek, as a transit center for U.S. operations in Afghanistan.

Atambaev is quoted as making the statement while meeting with a U.S. delegation led by Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Susan M. Elliott on February 20.

Last week, Atambaev vowed to demand overdue fees from Moscow for Russian military assets based on Kyrgyz soil.

The Kyrgyz president is scheduled to soon have talks with the Russian leadership in Moscow.

Kyrgyzstan hosts a Russian long-distance communication center and a torpedo-testing base, among other facilities.

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/kyrgyzstan_president_says_no_foreign_troops_manas_2014/24490080.html

Copyright (c) 2012. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.