Kyrgyzstan won’t let U.S. and NATO deploy AWACS planes

AP Worldstream
Feb 14, 2005

Kyrgyzstan’s foreign minister said on Monday that the government has
turned down a U.S. request to deploy AWACS radar planes in the country
after consultations with regional allies, including Russia and China.

Kyrgyzstan has hosted a U.S.-led coalition air base at the country’s
main airport just outside the capital, Bishkek, since December
2001. The base supports combat operations in nearby Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov said on Monday that Kyrgyzstan’s
government had been approached by the United States and NATO about
the possibility of deploying AWACS planes in this country, a former
Soviet republic and a neighbor of China. Aitmatov didn’t say when
the request was made.

“The issue has been thoroughly looked into by the Kyrgyz government,
which has held consultations with its allies in the Collective
Security Treaty and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Aitmatov
told reporters in Bishkek.

“They (the consultations) led to understanding that such planes do
not really correspond to the base’s mission, which is designed for
operations in Afghanistan,” Aitmatov said.

Aitmatov said he hoped Kyrgyzstan’s Western allies would understand
the country’s position.

The Russia-dominated Collective Security Treaty unites several
ex-Soviet republics, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belarus and
Armenia.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is led by China and Russia
and also includes Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, who aim to
jointly combat regional security threats.

The U.S.-led base in Kyrgyzstan currently hosts around 800 troops,
who maintain and fly military cargo and refueling planes.

Kyrgyzstan also hosts a Russian air base which was established in 2003
_ a measure seen as Russia’s response to the bolstered U.S. military
presence in the region.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are deployed in neighboring Uzbekistan.