President Barack Obama, trying to prevent the closure of a U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan, has sent a personal appeal to the Central Asian nation urging it to expand cooperation, Kyrgyzstan said on Thursday, Reuters reported.
The tiny Muslim nation gave the United States six months from February to leave the Manas air base used to support operations in nearby Afghanistan. U.S. defense officials have said they hoped to persuade Kyrgyzstan otherwise.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has said the decision to close the base is irreversible, but in the strongest sign yet that there might be room for change, he said he would consider Obama's proposal to expand ties.
"In his address, Barack Obama thanked Kyrgyzstan's people and leadership for their efforts on stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and fighting international terrorism and drug trafficking," the statement issued by Bakiyev's office said.
"Moreover Barack Obama expressed hope to further strengthen various forms of cooperation between the United States and Kyrgyzstan," it said.
The statement did not mention the Manas air base issue. The U.S. embassy could not be reached for comment.
Kyrgyzstan announced its decision to close Manas after securing pledges of $2 billion in aid and credit from Russia.
The move poses a challenge to the task of supplying some 56,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan and their effort to turn the tide in the war against the Taliban that senior U.S. officials have acknowledged they are not winning.
The statement quoted Obama as saying he planned to send a "delegation of high-ranking officials from his administration" to Kyrgyzstan soon to discuss ways to expand ties.
"The (Kyrgyz) head of state has ordered the Foreign Ministry to team up with relevant government agencies to prepare proposals on Kyrgyzstan's response (to Obama)," it said.