BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - The United States will pay Kyrgyzstan US$20 million (euro15.7 million) in annual rent - an eightfold increase - for the use of a military base in the ex-Soviet republic under a new deal reached last week, a senior Kyrgyz official said Friday. The rent is part of an overall US aid and compensation package totaling $150 million for Kyrgyzstan over the next year.The package includes $11 million in payments for landings and takeoffs at the base, as well as outlays for the purchase of local fuel and technical assistance, Kyrgyz Security Council secretary Miroslav Niyazov told The Associated Press, disclosing for the first time the details of the deal signed July 14.
Niyazov said the United States will also provide Kyrgyzstan with three Russian-made Mi-8 helicopters under the agreement, which resolved months of discussions over payment for continued US use of the Manas Air Base, set up in 2001 to support operations in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz officials were unhappy with what Niyazov said was the previous annual rent of $2.5 million, and wanted $200 million. The money to be allocated under the new deal is subject to approval from the US Congress, which signs off on US foreign aid and assistance.
The base, near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, became even more critical for US operations in Afghanistan after neighboring Uzbekistan evicted US forces from a base there amid harsh Western criticism of TashkentÂ’s human rights record. Kyrgyzstan also hosts a Russian base near Bishkek.