Russia to clear military debt with Kyrgyzstan

Russia will fully pay off its debts to Kyrgyzstan for leasing military bases there within ten days, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev said on Saturday. Russia owes $15 million, Atambayev said in a radio interview. Both Russia and the United State have important military bases in the country. However, Washington has paid its lease "without any delays," Kyrgyz media said. Russia has not paid "the measly rent" for its Kant air base for four years, Atambayev told Ekho Moskvy radio. He also complained that Russia did not meet its obligations. "They should be training our pilots. Well, they're not," he said. Atambayev said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had been kept in the dark about the debt and that he instructed the Defense Ministry to pay it off during talks between the two leaders on Friday. Atambayev also said the U.S. air base at Manas will not stay in Kyrgyzstan after its lease expires in 2014. The base is a key strategic staging post for the U.S. military in Afghanistan. "Just look at the situation with the U.S. and Iran. Iran possesses missiles that can hit targets thousands of kilometers away," Atambayev said. "They may target Manas, but what if they miss?" Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich hinted on Wednesday the United States may use the facility to launch a military strike against Iran. The U.S. Ambassador in Moscow, Michael McFaul, later dismissed he idea.