bobdina
06-26-2009, 07:57 PM
By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Published: 2:29PM BST 24 Jun 2009
Escalating a row that could sour President Barack Obama's inaugural visit to Moscow next month, the Russian foreign ministry said it had been double-crossed after the Kyrgyz government halted the eviction of American forces from the Manas Air base.
Hailed as a foreign policy victory by the Obama administration, the decision was seen in Moscow as a rare reversal in the Kremlin's campaign to regain dominance over the five former Soviet states in central Asia he Kyrgyz government agreed to expel US troops after receiving £1.3 billion in aid and soft loans from Moscow in February.
But after the United States agreed to triple its rent for Manas, an important re-fuelling and re-supply base for US forces across the border in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan changed its mind -- to the fury of Russian officials.
"The Kyrgyz leadership has repeatedly stated that the decision to close the base was final and not subject to revision," said Andrei Nesterenko, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.
Although some observers had speculated that Russian acquiescence in the new deal had been obtained, the foreign ministry insisted that the Kremlin had not been consulted.
"The news that the base would be preserved was, for us, a very unpleasant surprise," a senior foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by the Kommersant newspaper.
"The fact that the US military retains a presence in central Asia runs counter both to Russia's interests and to our agreements with the Kyrgyz leadership."
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, last year unilaterally declared the former Soviet Union to be part of Russia's sphere of influence.
While retaining the Manas base is considered a vital part of American strategy in the campaign against the Taliban, the United States has been criticised for remaining silent in the face of a deteriorating human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Several government critics have been killed or badly beaten during the months that the future of Manas was being negotiated. In a shift from earlier policy, however, the United States has largely refrained from condemning the attacks. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kyrgyzstan/5624355/Russia-accuses-Kyrgystan-of-treachery-over-US-military
Published: 2:29PM BST 24 Jun 2009
Escalating a row that could sour President Barack Obama's inaugural visit to Moscow next month, the Russian foreign ministry said it had been double-crossed after the Kyrgyz government halted the eviction of American forces from the Manas Air base.
Hailed as a foreign policy victory by the Obama administration, the decision was seen in Moscow as a rare reversal in the Kremlin's campaign to regain dominance over the five former Soviet states in central Asia he Kyrgyz government agreed to expel US troops after receiving £1.3 billion in aid and soft loans from Moscow in February.
But after the United States agreed to triple its rent for Manas, an important re-fuelling and re-supply base for US forces across the border in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan changed its mind -- to the fury of Russian officials.
"The Kyrgyz leadership has repeatedly stated that the decision to close the base was final and not subject to revision," said Andrei Nesterenko, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.
Although some observers had speculated that Russian acquiescence in the new deal had been obtained, the foreign ministry insisted that the Kremlin had not been consulted.
"The news that the base would be preserved was, for us, a very unpleasant surprise," a senior foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by the Kommersant newspaper.
"The fact that the US military retains a presence in central Asia runs counter both to Russia's interests and to our agreements with the Kyrgyz leadership."
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, last year unilaterally declared the former Soviet Union to be part of Russia's sphere of influence.
While retaining the Manas base is considered a vital part of American strategy in the campaign against the Taliban, the United States has been criticised for remaining silent in the face of a deteriorating human rights situation in Kyrgyzstan.
Several government critics have been killed or badly beaten during the months that the future of Manas was being negotiated. In a shift from earlier policy, however, the United States has largely refrained from condemning the attacks. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/kyrgyzstan/5624355/Russia-accuses-Kyrgystan-of-treachery-over-US-military