MOSCOW. (Dmitry Yevlashkov, RIA Novosti)

On February 3, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced his decision to close an international military base in Manas. His resolute step attracted the world's attention to the small alpine republic.

The base of the anti-terrorist coalition was opened in Kyrgyzstan in December 2001 in line with the UN mandate. Bishkek agreed to place the country's main air gates, the international airport Manas, at the disposal of the coalition forces that were carrying out the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom.

Kyrgyzstan and the United States signed an intergovernmental agreement to this effect. Bakiyev insists that the airport's infrastructure was rented for only one to two years. However, military action in Afghanistan continued. Although the United States steadily increased the payment for using a civilian airport, Kyrgyzstan decided to ask it to leave. Now a resolution on denouncing the agreement with the United States has been submitted to the Jogorku Kenesh, Kyrgyz

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