[A-List] Russia/US rivalry: Kyrgyzstan

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Russia opens air base to guard southern flank
By Andrew Jack in Moscow
Financial Times; Oct 24, 2003

Russia inaugurated an air base yesterday at Kant in the central Asian
republic of Kyrgyzstan, the first permanent expansion of its military
presence abroad since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The move comes at a time of growing concern at instability along Russia's
southern borders and of competition for influence in central Asia, following
the US-led anti-terrorist coalition's creation of a base at Kyrgyzstan's
Manas international airport after the start of the Afghanistan war.

It represents a first significant result of the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation and of the Commonwealth of Independent States, designed to
provide some political coherence to the states of the former Soviet Union at
a time of growing US presence in central Asia.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President Askar Akayev of Kyrgystan
jointly opened the Kant base, which state television said housed 150
officers and up to 20 combat and transport aircraft and helicopters.

Mr Putin played down any tension with US forces and stressed that Kant would
be used for a rapid reaction force to counter the threat of terrorism. He
recalled how Kyrgyzstan and neighbouring Uzbekistan had suffered from
incursions by rebel groups in 1999 and 2000 - just after Russia had
withdrawn from Kant.

Mr Akayev has attempted to maintain a careful balance between the interests
of the US, Russia and China. Once seen as a champion of reform and
democratic progress in central Asia, he has been criticised recently for his
authoritarian line.

Russian officials refused to comment on the costs of the base, which in the
coming months will house up to 500 officers. However, Mr Putin last year
agreed a write-off in Kyrgyz debts to Russia of $40m (?34m, £24m). Sergei
Ivanov, his defence minister, said yesterday that Russian state arms
exporters were donating $3m in equipment to Kyrgyzstan.

Among the Sukhoi fighter jets that have used Kant is one in which Mr Putin
flew to Russia's conflict-ridden republic of Chechnya in 1999 in a skilful
public relations exercise in the build-up to presidential elections.

John Chipman, director of the International Institute of Strategic Studies
in London, said: "This is not a new Great Game but Putin has been concerned
about a semi-permanent presence of the US in central Asia."