My profile:
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Russia, seeking to offset growing U.S. influence in Central Asia, has asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in the country, a senior Kyrgyz official said Thursday.
Russia and the United States both operate their own military bases in Kyrgyzstan, an arrangement security analysts see as a symbol of Moscow’s rivalry with Washington for control over the strategically important region bordering Afghanistan.
The senior Kyrgyz government official said Moscow had asked Kyrgyzstan to allow it to open another military base in southern Kyrgyzstan.
“Russia voiced this request itself,” the source said on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue. “Russia wants to restore its influence.”
The source made his remarks shortly after a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov visited Bishkek this week.
Speculation that Moscow might be seeking another base in Central Asia emerged after Kyrgyzstan agreed last month to allow the United States to continue using its Manas air base, reversing an earlier, Russia-backed decision to shut it.
The Kremlin confirmed that talks had taken place in Bishkek.
“I can confirm that Deputy Prime Minister Sechin and Defense Minister Serdyukov were there and held talks,” Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova said on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit in Italy.
She refused to elaborate on the topics discussed. The Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry declined comment.
The Kyrgyz source said Russia wanted to use an abandoned Soviet-era military facility near the city of Osh in the densely populated Ferghana valley — a strategic location near China and Afghanistan — as a foundation for a new base.
“The issue is being discussed currently,” the source said, adding that the facility still had good military infrastructure.
The U.S.-operated Manas air base opened in Kyrgyzstan in 2001 to support military operations in Afghanistan. Like Russia’s Kant air base, it is located near the capital, Bishkek.
Russia Wants to Open 2nd Military Base in Kyrgyzstan
10 July 2009
Reuters
Also in News
Ekho Shake-Up Stirs Censorship FearsThe announcement on Tuesday of a boardroom shake-up in the country's most prominent opposition radio station and a decision to nix a critical television talk show has raised fresh concerns over media freedom. |
Kremlin Foes Seek to Band TogetherLiberal opposition leaders are planning to create a broad coalition or party uniting prominent public and political activists in the hope that it could win up to 30 percent of the vote in the next parliamentary elections in 2017. |
With App, Play Politics Is Taking on New SensePolitical satire has been enjoying a renaissance since the appearance of Russia's newly emboldened opposition. |
Official Quits Over Visa TiffA Federal Migration Service official involved in the expulsion of French author Anne Nivat from the country over a visa issue resigned Tuesday. |
Ekho Moskvy Editor Called In for QuestioningEkho Moskvy editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov said Wednesday that he has been called in for questioning by prosecutors regarding a complaint about the radio station's labor practices. |
During Debate, Mikhalkov Admits he Would Vote for OpponentNikita Mikhalkov, film director and official backer of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, admitted during a debate that he would vote for his opponent Irina Prokhorova, sister of billionaire presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov, if she were on the ballot. |
Discussion
Comments
To post comments you must be registered
