BISHKEK, June 19 (Itar-Tass) - Parliament in Kyrgyzstan is due to consider a bill on renouncing an agreement with the U.S. on deployment of an airbase of the international antiterrorist coalition at Manas airport of the Kyrgyzstani capital Bishkek, the parliamentary press service told Itar-Tass.
According to its spokesman, the bill has received endorsement of all the factions represented in parliament and of the parliamentary committees concerned with the issue.
“The case in hand is the denunciation of a June 22, 2009, intergovernmental agreement on cooperation with the U.S., as well as an agreement on the transit transportations center at Manas airport and on any other installations or immovable properties related to it,” the spokesman said.
He recalled that the renouncing bill had been initiated by the country’s government. “It will be presented to the MPs by Deputy Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev” the spokesman said.
The airbase of the U.S.-led international antiterrorist coalition was set up at Manas airport in December 2001. Its objective was to support the Enduring Freedom anti-Taliban operation in Afghanistn.
In the first years of its history, the units of servicemen and technologies from several countries were deployed there but the U.S. Air Forces servicemen make up the core of the contingent there in recent years.
Kyrgyzstani government made public its plans in 2009 to close the base down but protracted consultations with Washington followed and the base was only renamed in a Center for Transit Transportation.
The coalition in Afghanistan uses the center to transship two-thirds of its cargoes to and from Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstani President Almazbek Atambayev has said on a number of occasions the base will be closed down as there should be no military presence at a purely civilian airport.
He proposes to replace the base at Manace with a large transport and logistics hub.