Kremlin Approved U.S.-Kyrgyz Agreement On Manas

MOSCOW -- A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry has said the recent agreement between the United States and Kyrgyzstan on the use of the Manas air base is a domestic issue for Kyrgyzstan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.

Speaking to journalists, spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said the agreement on the transit of nonlethal cargo through the base to support NATO stabilization efforts in Afghanistan had been approved in advance by Russia and Kyrgyzstan's neighbors in Central Asia.

The Kyrgyz parliament began the process of ratifying the agreement on June 23.

The Manas base was set up in December 2001 to support the international coalition's operations in Afghanistan.