BISHKEK. June 23 (Interfax-AVN) - Kyrgyzstan and the United States signed two agreements on June 22 - on cooperation and on the transit center at the Manas international airport, a source in the Kyrgyz government told Interfax on Tuesday.
"The reason for the new agreements with the U.S. was renewed tensions in Afghanistan," he said.
The agreement on the transshipping center at the Manas international airport envisions the formation of a "transit center for supporting operations of the international force in Afghanistan, including assistance to the country's government," the source said.
The government source did not say what kind of cargo was involved, but earlier reports said Kyrgyzstan intended to make its territory available for transiting non-military supplies.
The agreement on cooperation "deals with the status of the U.S. military personnel [to be deployed at the base] and lists terms of granting them a new status," he said. The military personnel of the Manas air base previously had diplomatic status and immunity.
Kyrgyzstan and the U.S. also reached an agreement "to take joint measures to ensure the security of the airport perimeter and to form checkpoints," the source said.
Under the agreements signed, the U.S. will transfer $60 million to Kyrgyzstan's budget each year. The U.S. will also provide $36 million to build a parking area for planes and for stockpiling cargoes at a distance from the airport, the source said.