The US will use a Romanian airbase on the Black Sea as a transit point for its troops leaving Afghanistan as it winds up operations at another base in Kyrgyzstan, the Pentagon said.
The agreement on using the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase was reached at a meeting at the Pentagon on Friday between US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Romanian counterpart Mircea Dusa. This airbase will support logistics into and out of Afghanistan, including personnel and cargo movement, Pentagon spokesman George little said.
“Hagel praised this agreement, which is particularly important as the US prepares to wind down transit centre operations at Manas, Kyrgystan next year,” little said. Hagel highlighted this agreement as further testament to Romania’s steadfast commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and its commitment to regional and international security.
Earlier, the Pentagon announced that it has begun the process of relocating from the transit centre at Manas International Airport, and plans to complete the transfer of areas and facilities to the Kyrgyzstan Government by July 2014. “The current agreement between the US and Kyrgyz governments on hosting the TCM expires in July 2014. The US appreciates the support provided by the Kyrgyz people to its forces and coalition efforts to counter threat of terrorism and achieve security and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” little said in a separate statement.