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MOSCOW — Kyrgyzstan appeared Thursday to rebuff an appeal by President Barack Obama for closer cooperation as Washington sought to retain a U.S. air base there that provides an important staging area for the war in Afghanistan.
In February, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev gave the U.S. six months to leave the installation, Manas Air Base, a decision that was seen as influenced in part by Russia, which pledged a $2 billion loan to the impoverished Central Asian country.
Thursday, Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev said there were no plans to reverse that decision, despite the appeal by Obama.
