As of 3:40 p.m. Tashkent time, the US no longer has an airbase in Uzbekistan.
Update: More from the BBC.
In a ceremony, troops lowered the US flag and handed to Uzbek officials the keys to the Karshi-Khanabad base.
Some personnel remain at the base, which the US has occupied since 2001.
Let it not be said that the US government cannot accomplish things ahead of schedule, I suppose.
The chairman of the Duma’s international affairs committee had this to say.
“A new phase in relations between Uzbekistan and Russia, which may prompt Uzbekistan to enter certain integration structures on post-Soviet soil is one of the results of the closure of the American military base in Khanabad,” Kosachyov told Interfax on Monday.
The deputy said he expects the base’s withdrawal to help “Uzbekistan get rid of the illusion that closer ties with the U.S. could help resolve internal problems.”
It’s a small gesture, but I hereby pledge that I will gloat the next time Russia engages in a geopolitical retreat.
Uzbekistan did not choose to sacrifice its own sovereignty “either to support the interests of the world anti-terrorist coalition or earn money for its own needs,” Kosachyov said.
It’s absolutely adorable when Russian politicians suggest they respect the sovereignty of their neighbors.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
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Heck of a job, Bushie, Rummy, and Condi!
How to feel about this one? Good perhaps because an American army base rarely engenders good feelings, but without K2 our largest chip is gone. What worries me the most is the fact that Russia is now a party to the post-Karimov turmoil that is soon to develop. What is likely to develop is a power struggle between the pro-biz Western backed groups, the Islamists, and those familiar characters who are so comfortable operating under the day’s popular moniker. My faith in the current US administration to do anything good with this sort of situation is non-existant, but I think I trust the Russians even less.