MOSCOW, Feb 3: Kyrgyzstan’s president said on Tuesday the United States must close its military base in the Central Asian country, once seen as a key support centre for US operations in nearby Afghanistan.

“Kyrgyzstan will close the US military base in Manas after Washington refused to negotiate better compensation,” Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said after talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow.

Washington set up the base in 2001 after the start of the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan. But its role has been heightened as the United States seeks to reinforce supply routes to Afghanistan that bypass Pakistan, where supply convoys face security risks.

Mr Bakiyev made his statement after receiving a promise of more than $2 billion in credit and aid from Russia to assist his impoverished country.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that despite Kyrgyzstan’s decision, both countries would continue cooperating with the United States on Afghanistan.—Reuters