About the former P. Ganci air base, about the present Transit Center Manas

Our republic is small both in the sizes and population. But for some reason so it has happened that any European state, flourishing in the full calmness and complacency, can envy the quantity of the events which have occurred for the last twenty years! Only what didn't occur, in our highland, from the moment of independence declaration!

We gathered these or those credits from all over the world on billion US dollars, but only the God knows how and by what we will give them. The various foreign investors, who are not almost supervised by state authorities, were let into the country and nobody knows, except the elite, what to do with them and what the country already has from them.

We went through two revolts, which were pompously called as the revolutions in the environment of the semiliterate population. Two ex-presidents plundered the country ran from it and to whom the people during this or that time rendered trust to direct the country. And how to punish the traitors and to return to the country budget the stolen at the people – nobody knows clearly and does nothing.

We went through the local civil interethnic war, about the consequences and victims of which nobody can tell clearly still and doesn’t give the exact figures of human and economic losses. And so we live under the fine sky among the mountains: nobody knows clearly and does nothing and all affairs somehow move by themselves …

There is also one more small, but rather interesting feature in our life. Though it is precipitately and hasty to judge about the sizes of it– the task is rather ungrateful. This feature is the American air base being in the territory of Manas airport that is almost in forty kilometers to the North from the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

The American military air base intended for support of fight against the Afghan Talibs, appeared in the territory of Kyrgyzstan in December, 2001 after the acts of terrorism in New York. Then it designated a name of firefighter Peter Ganci (was lost during the firefighting of twin towers of the World shopping center in New York on September 11, 2001) the base of anti-terrorist coalition forces of NATO. A bit later it was renamed into Manas air base. Since spring of 2009, it was renamed and “restructured” in the Transit Center by the agreement of the authorities of Kyrgyzstan and the USA.

Now 2 thousand 200 people are in the part of the 376th forwarding aviation wing of the U.S. Air Force which is deploying on air base. Including one and a half thousand citizens of the USA, the Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Turkey, New Zealand, Denmark, Spain, France, Australia, South Korea, Norway and 700 of the Kirghiz. The fighters and attack planes of the international coalition settle down on base besides transport, auxiliary and KC135 planes-tankers. Now the people, ammunition, fuel and equipment are taken across to Afghanistan through Transit Center.

From the very beginning of fighting operations of NATO forces in Afghanistan, the western press very loudly extended about unknown successes of the contingent in fight against the Afghan terrorists. But for some reason, it developed so historically that today the Talibs supervise the most part of the territory of Afghanistan and the USA has strong headaches: how to leave this so modest current situation? On the one hand NATO men promised to take the armies away from Afghanistan in the nearest future and on the other – there was very tense situation of affairs …

Generally, the withdrawal of the most part of foreign armies from Afghanistan is planned for 2014. At the same time, the closing of Manas Transit Center is planned after their leaving. The past and the present Kirgizstan's governments changed the vector of interests from one extreme to another already for several times: that – base is necessary for liquidating, or it is vital to keep in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. What is the reason here? Let's try to understand.

Officially the USA considers the Transit Center as a contribution of Kyrgyzstan to safety establishment in the Central Asian region. And the official Bishkek (Frunze) considers Transit Center within the bilateral relations with the USA. It is a semi-official organ. And the realities are the following, slightly others. The annual budget of Kyrgyzstan makes a little more than 2 billion US dollars. For the reference we will remember that nearly a half is formed at the expense of reinvestments, in other words, at the expense of monetary receipts from the citizens of Kyrgyzstan working as guest workers, generally in Russia.

In 2008 the contribution from Transit Center’s activity in economy of Kyrgyzstan at the expense of direct payments made 76, 8 million US dollars, in 2009 – 107, 4 million, in 2010 – 123,5 million, in 2011 – 151 million. It is very solid contributions in agrarian and transit economy of the state only for granting the land and air space in rent!

Besides, that the base cost17,4 million dollars to the budget of the USA, the Americans finance the building of parking in cost of 36,6 million for planes and warehousing of cargoes. Since June, 2009, 30 million dollars were promised on modernization of air-transport system of Kyrgyzstan. Plus to it is the increase of simply annual financial help from 25 million to 41, 5 million dollars. In the current 2012 year Kyrgyzstan will receive 20 million for creation of the Kirghiz-American fund of economic development. And still the USA-associates will give 21, 5 million for the fight against drug traffic and 10 million for fight against terrorism strengthening. All these figures are not in the Kirghiz national currency (soms), but in “green” US dollars.

According to the informal data, in attempt to agree with Bishkek at the second stage of this cooperation, the USA involved the president of Turkey Abdullah Gül to negotiation process who then promised to Bakiyev the investments on more than billion dollars from Turkish business, under condition of the preservation of air base “Manas.

To put it briefly, the air base always was a trump card for the Kyrgyz government. But, at the same time, this is the weak spot in its relations with Russia and China …

Taking into account the situation which has developed currently in the world, the Transit Center can become the object of aviation and terrorist blows from Iran in the near future. And let’s remember that it is less than forty kilometers from Transit Center to the capital of Kyrgyzstan… The Iranians can miss a little in the condition of affect … And not only on Transit Center, but across all Kyrgyzstan: affect is such business … the small are beaten too in big fight!

It is, so to speak, the medal obverse. Let's look now at its reverse. The total area of Kyrgyzstan is slightly less than 200 thousand square kilometers. And only a little less than 7 % (according to the data, remained to us from the Soviet period) from this number of the area make the lands suitable for agricultural activity. That is not enough for the state with an agrarian profile of economy.

And if to consider also a number of lands captures under housing construction by the citizens of the state, which become fashionable after independence acquisition by Kyrgyzstan on August 31, 1991, this quantity (7 %) doesn't correspond to a true indicator now – most likely, it is slightly less. That is, the areas for activity of agrarian sector of the state were considerably reduced without introduction of advanced technologies (not to mention the nanotechnologies!) …

There can be a question: what is the air base here?! It is in the territory of the airport which is not entering into the agricultural inventory of lands of the state! The answer to this question is rather simple: according to the most conservative estimates, as a result of dumping of fuel surpluses on approach to air base by the planes of coalition, over thirty hectares (according to modest calculations!) of arable and suitable lands for the processing, adjacent to villages Beshterek, Sabyr, Stepnoe and other settlements close located to Manas airport were spoiled for long decades.

Besides, the cattle, crops, gardens and green plantings perish, people are ill. And it isn't known to what consequences and mutations of people and environment will bring it in the future …

The behavior of the representatives of the contingent both on the base and beyond its limits, including the capital, sometimes leaves much to be desired – the fights, infringement of the rights of citizens of Kyrgyzstan and many other things, the murder of the Kyrgyz by the serviceman of the USA became the culmination of that only because something seemed to him! And all this is without any civil or criminal consequences: according to existing arrangements between Kyrgyzstan and the USA, the servicemen of the contingent use the immunity from prosecution for criminal offenses. And nobody is going to cancel this situation.

One more interesting fact. Only in 2012, the Transit Center bought the aviation fuel from the local realtors for the sum about 70 million dollars. It seems, everything is normal: the purchasing tenders systematically appear on air base sites. But! They appear only in English for businessmen of Kyrgyzstan, and, for some reason, they are won constantly by only the same suppliers.

According to the Kirghiz-American protocol concluded on Transit Center, the air base can be closed only after six months term after the corresponding formal notice of one of the agreed parties. As they say – we'll wait and see. And that will get the best, in particular: the common sense or someone's narrow interests.