BISHKEK. Oct 2 (Interfax) - Kyrgyzstan will not change its mind regarding the withdrawal of the United States' military base from its territory, since the country is committed to its partners in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Kyrgyz Prime Minister Sapar Isakov said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper published on Monday.
"This [the deployment of a U.S. base] is no longer an issue. Kyrgyzstan made the decision back in 2014. The decision will stay in effect, it is a principled and important foreign-policy position for us," Isakov said.
"The U.S. has not tried [to deploy a new base in Kyrgyzstan] since then, although other partners have made similar offers," he said.
"I can assure you that Kyrgyzstan will be a committed and reliable partner of all CSTO member states," he said.
The CSTO "is a keynote strategic and geopolitical project. The issues discussed by the CSTO in various formats make up a very serious agenda," Isakov said.
"The foreign policy of our country prioritizes the CSTO. We are fully aware of the fact that the provision of regional security is a priority, especially against the backdrop of the complex situation in Afghanistan," he said.
Isakov described the CSTO as "a security umbrella for every member of the organization." "Kyrgyzstan will apply comprehensive measures and make a weighty contribution to the development of our organization. There is a combined Russian military base in our city of Kant, and it also has a certain mission in the CSTO context," he said.
The United States established an airbase at Manas International Airport in December 2001 to support the operation of its coalition in Afghanistan.
The airbase was renamed the Transit Center in 2009 and withdrawn in July 2014 by the decision of Kyrgyzstan's government.