Russia”s plan to open a second military base in Kyrgyzstan would destabilise the wider Central Asian region, Uzbekistan said late on Monday, exposing fresh divisions between Moscow and its ex-Soviet allies.
Kyrgyzstan this month gave the go-ahead to Moscow”s second base on its territory, close to the southern border with Uzbekistan. The country had earlier told the United States it could keep open its own military air base in the country.
“Uzbekistan sees no necessity… in implementing the plans to place an additional group of Russian military forces in Kyrgyzstan”s south,” Jahon news agency, run by Uzbekistan”s Foreign Ministry, wrote.
It said the Russian military presence could provoke further “militarisation” and ethnic conflicts. It could also lead to a resurgence of “radical extremist” forces who may destabilise the situation in the whole region, Jahon said.
