Why stability in Kyrgyzstan is important

KYRGYZSTAN, a nation of five million people strategically located in Central Asia, is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. The country borders Russia and was a constituent republic within the former Soviet Union until 1991.
It shares borders with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikstan and China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where a substantial separatist movement has been active.
China does not want the independence of the Central Asian states to stimulate dreams of statehood among their own Turkic Muslim Uygur peoples in Xinjiang. China's Uygurs have been militant in their desire to attain independence.
It supplies water to other central Asian states from its Pamir mountain water reservoirs and shares a border with Muslim-dominated Xinjiang province of China.
In recent years, Kyrgyzstan has also been featuring in the US-Russian rivalry for control of Central Asia, as both powers have military air bases in the country.
Most of the population is nominally Muslim, and there has been a growing interest in Islam among those seeking a new ethnic or national identity. The government is worried about inroads by jihadist groups like Hizb-ut Tahrir, and there have been periodic outbreaks of fighting in the south.
China, Russia and the US are worried that if Kyrgyzstan becomes unstable and weak, then Islamic militants will intrude into the state and may create problems for Muslim-dominated areas of China and Russia, with spill-over effect on Afghanistan.
Tensions had been growing in Kyrgyzstan over what human rights groups contended were the increasingly repressive policies of the president.
The catalyst for the violence that erupted on April 6 in many towns, including in the capital city Bishkek, was anger over a sharp increase in prices of essential commodities and services.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has fled to the south of the country, and is trying to rally supporters from his power base of Osh and Jalalabad in the south.
The opposition leader and former foreign minister Ms. Roza Ottunbayeva took control of the country after riots left at least 75 dead.
She said that the opposition coalition led by her would rule for six months before calling for elections. Meanwhile, parliament had been dissolved. She had the backing of the armed forces and border guards.
Ms. Otunbayeva said that what "we did was our answer to the repression and tyranny against the people by the Bakiyev regime."
Bakiyev came to power in the central Asian state's "Tulip Revolution" five years ago. People expected a better life under him. But he gradually became intolerant and ruled the country like a dictator.
He gave his relatives, including his son, top government and economic posts and faced the same accusations of corruption and cronyism that led to the ouster of his predecessor Askar Akayev.
The president was grooming his 32-year old son Maksim as his heir. Maksim Bakiyev was due in Washington to attend bilateral consultations with the US.
Bakiyev insisted that he was still the legitimate president and condemned the uprising, saying the new interim government was "completely incapable" of imposing order.
He added: "If this so-called 'temporary' government that has appointed itself is prepared to begin negotiation talks, then I'm prepared to listen to them and see what they want." Ottunbayeva has not made an official response to Bakiyev's offer of talks.
President Bakiyev had alienated foreign allies by playing Russia and the West against one another.
The Obama administration has sought to cultivate ties with President Bakiyev, angering the opposition after he vowed to close the US base at Manas on the outskirts of Bishkek. He reversed his decision after the US agreed to concessions, including higher rent.
Last year Russia announced a $2.5 billion aid package for the country in return for Bakiyev promising to close the US air base. Instead, he renegotiated and allowed the US to stay.
Although Ms. Otunbayeva said that the supply line into Afghanistan from the US base would not be immediately be affected, she warned: "We still have some questions on it. Give us time and we will listen to all sides and solve everything."
The US's concern relates to the possible closure of the base, which is a key transit point for US troops and supplies to Afghanistan. It is reported that last month 50,000 US and coalition troops passed the base en route to Afghanistan.
The new Kyrgyz leader thanked Russia for its "significant support," and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ms. Otunbayeva have already held telephone talks. 150 paratroopers are being sent to Russia's Kant military base, near Bishkek.
The deputy head of the interim government, Almazbek Atambayev, flew to Moscow on April 9 to hold consultations with Russian officials.
Later, another opposition leader, Omurbek Tekebayev, told Reuters that Russia had "played its role in ousting Bakiyev" and that there was a "high probability that the duration of the US air base's presence in Kyrgyzstan will be shortened."
Moscow has denied playing any role in the unrest. US President Barack Obama's adviser on Russia, Michael McFaul, insisted that this was "not some anti-American coup." He also denied that the unrest in Kyrgyzstan was a proxy struggle between US and Russia.
It is reported that President Obama discussed Kyrgyzstan on April 8 before signing the reduction of nuclear arms treaty at Prague.
Stability in the country will only come if social and economic conditions are improved by means of good governance and proper utilisation of aid money.

Barrister Harun ur Rashid is a former Bangladesh Ambassador to the UN, Geneva.