BISHKEK. Feb 2 (Interfax-AVN) - The Manas airbase located at the Kyrgyz capital city's airport is a vital link for the antiterrorist coalition forces, said Robert Simmons, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
If the (Kyrgyz) government closes Manas, we will regret this decision because for us it is a vital link, Simmons told journalists in Bishkek.
NATO does not have a base in Kyrgyzstan and we never planned to set up this base, he said.
We are using the resources of the Manas airport, provided by the Kyrgyz government, to transport military contingent and cargo for the operation in Afghanistan, Simmons said.
As part of the operation in Afghanistan, the Manas airport resources are being used both by NATO members, mostly, the U.S., and non-NATO members, which sent their troops to Afghanistan, he said.
It is not a military airbase, but it is a center for servicemen and cargo transportation, Simmons said.
The use of the Manas airport serves the interests of the Alliance and contributes to NATO's operation in Afghanistan, he said.