According to 24.kg, Kyrgyzstan gets paid $17.5mln a year by the U.S. government for hosting the Manas airbase on its territory. This information was disclosed by Tajikan Kalimbetova, the Kyrgyz Minister of Finance during the extended session of the economy, budget and finance Committee in the Parliament. The US Gansi airbase is located at Manas airport where about 1,000 U.S. troops support antiterrorism operations in Afghanistan.

In summer 2007, there had emerged a movement in the country demanding the withdrawal of American base and troops due to scandal over the death by a local man caused by one of the soldiers. On the other hand, some believe that the existence of the airbase partially solved the problem of unemployment by generating jobs and contributing to the national economy.

Kyrgyzstan has been a historically important within Russia’s sphere of influence and Russia’s presence in the country is of key strategic importance. In 2003, Russian Federation had established its airbase in a small city not far from Bishkek called Kant sending about 400 troops. The establishment of the airbase was under an agreement in the frame of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. CSTO is a regional security bloc that includes Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus.

This is why the Kyrgyz government does not charge Russian Federation for the Kant airbase’s usage, said Tajikan Kalimbetova during government meeting on the state budget, informs AKIpress. She said:

In addition, Kyrgyzstan’s debt to Russia totals $184 million, and in these circumstances, to demand rent [for the airbase] would be rather inappropriate.