Azerbaijan, Baku, June 6 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
The Kyrgyz Prosecutor General's Office started pre-investigation examination following the recent statements of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about providing bribes to former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev by the U.S. and Russia, RIA Novosti reported referring to Kyrgyz weekly 'Delo No'.
On May 25, speaking at the meeting with students of High School of Economics in Moscow McFaul accused Russia of "bribing Kyrgyzstan". According to U.S. Ambassador, by this means Russia made Kyrgyz authorities to turn U.S. soldiers out of air base at Bishkek's airport Manas. The U.S. also offered a bribe to the Kyrgyz leadership, but it was less, he said. The Russian Foreign Ministry assessed this statement as not meeting the requirements of diplomatic etiquette. According to the Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, McFaul was misunderstood or misinterpreted.
In December 2008 a representative of the Kyrgyz presidential administration said about Kyrgyzstan's plans to close the U.S. military base in the Manas. In 2009, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev signed a law to terminate the contract with the United States about the U.S. airbase in Kyrgyzstan. However, four months after Bishkek and Washington signed an agreement reshaping the airbase Manas to the Transit Center. The regime of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown in 2010.
"Prosecutor General's Office initiated pre-investigation examination of the statement of the U.S. diplomat. All publications concerning this performance are monitoring carefully," deputy prosecutor general Nurlanbek Zheenaliev said.
According Zheenaliev, the prosecutor's office plans to send a formal request to Ambassador McFaul, asking to provide available information and clarification on this issue.
The American air base, renamed later to the transit center was established at the Manas international airport in Bishkek in December, 2001, and today there are about 1,200 soldiers. The base is important for the NATO operation "Enduring Freedom" in Afghanistan. The agreement on the deployment of U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan is valid until 2014.