Manas Transit Center

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Manas Transit Center

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Tuesday pleaded by the Kyrgyzstan authorities to continue the operations at the American air base in their country after the contract expires in 2014. The military base in Kyrgyzstan is used by the American army to bring home soldiers from Afghanistan.

The move comes after the Kyrgyz president Almazbek Atambayev warned that the United States cannot use the military base at Manas to strike Iran. He expressed his fear that in case of a war on Iran, the Islamic republic could retaliate by hitting the American base in his country.

In Kyrgyzstan, Panetta said that there is a possibility that the contract with the Kyrgyz may be renegotiated and the cooperation expanded beyond the 2014 deadline. He was expected to underscore in the meeting with his counterpart in Bishkek the importance of the transit center for both countries, for regional security and for a possible transition to a commercial hub in the future.

During the meeting, the Kyrgyz officials told the American defense secretary that their country was ready to cooperate with the Americans after 2014 but added that there should be no military activity on the airport after 2014, if the plan is to work.

Panetta thanked the Kyrgyz for the continued support of the transit center. The president of the republic reminded that the contract expires in June 2014, and the American authorities say that new negotiations have not begun.

The United States opened in December 2001 the base in order to support its activity in the conflict in Afghanistan, and was designed as a transit center for coming and going from Afghanistan.

The base has a facilities for soldiers: internet cafes, wireless internet, free video games, pool tables, telephones that allow calling home with little or no cost, gymnasium or chapel.

The neighboring Russia and China have been pushing for the closure of the base since 2005. After a few misunderstandings with the Kyrgyz authorities, the base was made available to the Americans for the amount of $60 million a year.

After the ground supply routes in Pakistan were shut down for the American army following the bombing in November 2011, U.S. army has increased its use of Central Asian ground routes.

Right now the U.S. traffic in and out of Afghanistan is realized through Manas Transit Center. The base is expected to be an important hub in the drawdown plan, which will see the American troops leaving Afghanistan by 2014. Manas also handles a large amount of refuel flights.

The Pentagon says that there were 4,800 flights out of Manas for Afghanistan in 2011. 580,000 passengers came through the base in 2011.

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