Relationship dossier
Kyrgyzstan
United States
Relationship assessment
Practical cooperation has coexisted with disputes over the Manas facility and human-rights policy.
Kyrgyzstan toward United States
+5Kyrgyzstan permitted U.S. forces to use the Manas air base for operations supporting Afghanistan, but later ended the arrangement, with the facility closing in 2014. In 2015, Kyrgyzstan terminated a bilateral cooperation agreement after the United States honored Azimjan Askarov.
United States toward Kyrgyzstan
+20The United States provided assistance to Kyrgyzstan and reached an arrangement to use the Manas air base for operations supporting Afghanistan. The U.S. government also honored imprisoned rights activist Azimjan Askarov, an action that prompted a sharp Kyrgyz government response.
Overall relationship
+15The bilateral relationship has been shaped by tangible security and assistance cooperation, especially the U.S. presence at Manas, alongside recurring friction over human-rights policy and Kyrgyzstan's decisions concerning U.S. arrangements. These features support a mixed but modestly cooperative characterization.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Kyrgyzstan and the United States have maintained practical cooperation, including U.S. use of the Manas air base and American assistance programs. The relationship has also faced friction: Kyrgyzstan ended the Manas arrangement and, in 2015, terminated a bilateral cooperation agreement after the United States honored imprisoned rights activist Azimjan Askarov. The ties combine sustained cooperation with episodes of significant political disagreement.
Areas of tension
- Kyrgyzstan ended the U.S. arrangement at the Manas air base, which closed in 2014.
- Kyrgyzstan terminated a bilateral cooperation agreement in 2015 after the United States honored Azimjan Askarov.
Key developments
Kyrgyzstan allowed the United States to use the Manas air base in support of operations in Afghanistan.
The U.S. facility at Manas closed after Kyrgyzstan ended the arrangement.
Kyrgyzstan terminated a bilateral cooperation agreement following the U.S. decision to honor Azimjan Askarov.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and continuity of current U.S. assistance and bilateral cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing security cooperation after the closure of the Manas facility is unclear.