Kyrgyzstan parliament members visit Manas

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Patrick J. McCracken
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) --  A delegation of Kyrgyzstan's parliament led by Vice Speaker Kubanychbek Isabekov visited Manas Air Base Dec. 15.

Following weeks of planning and extensive preparation, 17 members of the Kyrgyz parliament came to tour the base. 

The delegation was greeted by Col. Christopher Bence, the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander and his senior staff as they arrived for a mission briefing and question and answer session. Lee Litzenberger, the deputy chief of mission from the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek was also on hand to welcome the dignitaries and attended the tour.

During the briefing, Colonel Bence highlighted the many community outreach programs sponsored by the Manas Service Organization and the Manas Air Base Outreach Society where service members contribute their own time and money to help people in local schools, villages and orphanages with renovation projects and items such as warm clothing and school supplies.

The parliamentarians asked very direct questions and were given candid answers by Colonel Bence. One member asked about construction projects on base and about how much money goes into the local economy, to which Colonel Bence responded that Manas AB spent more than $13 million in fiscal 2008 on local commodities, contracts and services.

"The U.S. government has also committed more than $30 million to improve the parking ramp for Manas International Airport, which will be constructed in the most environmentally friendly manner possible and will be a tremendous legacy to the Kyrgyz people once we leave," Colonel Bence said. "We are ready to begin construction as soon as we receive final approval from the Kyrgyz government. My primary objective is to award as many construction projects as possible to local Kyrgyz workers. We just recently held a vendor day in Bishkek to help local businesses better understand how to work with the base."

Once the question and answer session was finished, the delegation took a walking tour of the base facilities that included the recently opened medical hospital, the coalition passenger terminal, fitness center and the recreation center where they had an opportunity to speak with local Kyrgyz employees and ask them firsthand how they feel about working on base.

The group then stopped for lunch at the dining facility where they had the opportunity to eat the same food as the coalition servicemembers and Kyrgyz employees of the base. They also asked quality-of-life questions. Vice Speaker Isabekov, a former servicemember himself, asked many questions regarding equality for women and pay levels for enlisted members along with promotion opportunities.

The final visit of the day was out to the flightline to see the mission and the aircraft up close. They toured the KC-135 Stratotanker and the C-17 Globemaster III where they were given a demonstration of cargo and vehicle loading.

The visit ended with giving one another gifts and exchanging toasts encouraging continued cooperation and transparency between the two nations. 

"It is my honor to be a piece of the partnership between Kyrgyzstan and the United States at Manas, and I look forward to our continued cooperation," Colonel Bence said.

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