Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2012

2011: Data and ReviewsUS military base to remain in Kyrgyzstan till 2014November 23, 2011The Manas US military base will remain in Kyrgyzstan till the year 2014, asagreed by Kyrgyzstan and the United States, Kyrgyzstan’s outgoing presidentRoza Otunbayeva said. She stressed that the base is vital for the internationalcoalition force in Afghanistan. The fate of the Manas base after 2014 willdepend largely on the situation in that country. Otunbayeva said that PresidentelectAlmazbek Atambayev had suggested that the base should be closed whenthe lease expires and the capital’s main airport, Manas, should be transformedinto a civilian transit centre. Otunbayeva backed this proposal, noting thatKyrgyzstan needs a big transport hub to handle goods shipped from west toeast and vice versa.Note:The Manas base was established in late 2001 after the United States went to war against the Taliban andal-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The military base, which was subsequently renamed the Transit Centre, nowaccommodates about 1,200 American soldiers.Expert Online294 EDB Eurasian Integration Yearbook 2012