Kyrgyzstan’s Manas International Airport, which for the past 13 years has hosted an American military base, is up for sale. Russia’s state-run oil giant Rosneft might become the new owner.
Rosneft indicated it wants to purchase a majority stake in the state-controlled company that owns Manas International Airport. The company also owns another 10 smaller (non-functional) civilian airports around the country.
Meanwhile, the American troops stationed at Manas International Airport are currently preparing for their departure in July. Kyrgyzstan is eager to find a new owner to save the owners from going bankrupt. The state has a 79% stake in the company that owns Manas International Airport.
Igor Sechin, the chairman of Rosneft and a close ally of both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kyrgyzstan’s Acting Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev, signed a non-binding memorandum on his company’s intentions to purchase at least 51% of Manas’ shares for up to $1bn. As part of the deal, Sechin agreed to transform Manas into a “large-scale international logistics hub”.
But the airport is not the only investment Rosneft has put under its radar. The company is also looking to purchase a 50% stake in the fuel-distribution operations at Osh airport, which is Kyrgyzstan’s second largest. The Russian-owned company also wants to acquire the Bishkek Oil Company, a private company that runs a network of filling stations in Bishkek.
As for Russian interests in Kyrgyzstan, Rosneft is not alone. Russian state-controlled companies have spent the past couple of years taking control of Kyrgyz assets. For a symbolic price of $1, Russia’s Gazprom acquired Kyrgyzgaz, which oversees the country’s gas-distribution network.
Meanwhile, Russia’s state-run Inter RAO has announced plans to invest $2bn for the construction of a hydropower dam on the Naryn River. Russia’s interest in Tajikistan has not been welcomed by everyone. Critics accuse Kyrgyzstan of deliberately failing to attract foreign investors in order to assist Russia to use Bishkek as a foothold for further expansion in the region.