MOSCOW, March 27: Kyrgyzstan has invited the United States to discuss retaining the Manas air base outside Bishkek that serves as a key supply route to Afghanistan, a senior US official said in Moscow on Friday.

“We’ve agreed to enter into discussions with the Kyrgyz at their invitation on the possibility of the agreement (on the air base) remaining in force,” the official, who asked not to be named, said in Moscow.

Kyrgyzstan on February 20 officially set in motion the process for closing the airbase at Manas, outside the Kyrgyz capital, by handing the United States a 180-day notice to leave the base.

The base is a vital support post for US and Western operations, as it is used for ferrying tens of thousands of troops in and out of Afghanistan each year and also hosts planes used for mid-air refuelling of combat craft.

“The story is not over yet,” said the US official. “But the United States has other options too.” —AFP
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