Azernews.Az

By Aynur Jafarova

Kyrgyzstan will receive $70 million (3.5 billion soms) for building a transit center in the Manas International Airport in the first half of 2014.

The news was announced by Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Joomart Otorbayev on November 29.

"We currently receive 1 billion soms only in taxes. The direct payment for the Manas transit center amounts to $60 million," he said.

Otorbayev also said the other entities working with the transit center pay $80 million to the Kyrgyz state budget.

The transit center, formerly a military base, opened at the Manas airport in late 2001. The center is a major logistics hub for transporting goods and anti-terror coalition forces to Afghanistan.

According to Pentagon statistics, the base handles up to 15,000 coalition servicemen and 500 tons of cargo every month.

On November 14, Kyrgyzstan presented a note to the U.S. on the termination of the agreement on Manas transit center which was inked in 2009.

The note announced that agreement with the U.S. regarding the transit center at Manas International Airport will expire on July 11, 2014.

The U.S. Department of Defense has begun the relocation process of the transit center.

The U.S. plans to complete the transfer of areas and facilities to the Kyrgyz Government by July 2014.

Following the withdrawal of the U.S. military, Kyrgyzstan intends to make the airport an entirely civilian facility.

Negotiations on creating a hub in the transit center are underway with China, Turkey, Russia, and other countries.