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Kyrgyz Parliament Sets Date For Manas Transit Center Closure


U.S. soldiers from the 438th Medical Unit board a plane on their way home from Afghanistan at the U.S. Transit Center at Manas in March.
U.S. soldiers from the 438th Medical Unit board a plane on their way home from Afghanistan at the U.S. Transit Center at Manas in March.
BISHKEK -- The Kyrgyz parliament has set a date for the closure of the NATO Transit Center at Manas International Airport near Bishkek.

Lawmakers voted on June 20 to end the U.S.-Kyrgyz agreement on the center as of July 11, 2014.

According to the legislation, the Kyrgyz authorities must officially notify Washington 180 days in advance of the closure.

The legislation must be signed by President Almazbek Atambaev before it comes into force.

It states that all technical issues related to the closure of Manas must be addressed by mid-January 2014.

The center is a transit base for troops and supplies and hosts about 1,000 U.S. military personnel and several U.S. Air Force tanker planes.

It has been operating since 2001.

The last five-year operating agreement was renewed in June 2009.
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