GOL TO ENGAGE KYRGYSTAN ON MANAS AIRFIELD,

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000480 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2016 TAGS: AF MARR MOPS PREL LH UZ SUBJECT: GOL TO ENGAGE KYRGYSTAN ON MANAS AIRFIELD, UZBEKISTAN ON TERMIZ TRANSIT REF: STATE 81543 Classified By: Pol/econ officer Traver Gudie for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel points to Vytautas Leskevicius, Head of the MFA's NATO Division, May 24, and asked the GOL to urge Kyrgystan to allow continued access to Manas airfield. Leskevicius said that this is an important issue for all ISAF coalition partners, and that Lithuania would try to find the best way to engage Kyrgystan. He noted that Lithuania has no diplomatic representation in Kyrgystan, but said he thought the GOL could raise the issue with Kyrgyz counterparts through their respective embassies in Moscow. ¶2. (C) Leskevicius said that since April the government of Uzbekistan has similarly denied Lithuania permission to transit through its Termiz airbase en route to Chagcharan, Afghanistan. Leskevicius said that Lithuania's PRT has had to reroute its flights through Turkmenistan, but hopes that this is a temporary solution. Leskevicius told us that the GOL is engaging Uzbekistan to find a more acceptable solution. MULL