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Chris Carter Labour MP - Source: ONE News -
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Labour MP Chris Carter has criticised US policy in Central Asia following the overthrow of Kyrgyzstan's President by pro-Russian opposition forces.
Kurmanbek Bakiyev, an unpopular leader but key US partner, has fled the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek after days of rioting killed at least 70 people.
Kyrgyzstan's strategic value is largely due to Manas Air Base, near Bishkek.
Manas has been used by the US Air Force since 2001 for operations in nearby Afghanistan.
Carter says the tension in Kyrgyzstan could create greater upheaval in Afghanistan.
"The whole of Central Asia is essential for Afghanistan," Carter said.
"The loss (of Manas) would be costly and extremely annoying for the Pentagon," analysts at intelligence group Stratford said earlier today.
Carter agrees the US will be concerned by the ongoing unrest, but says American foreign policy has been hypocritical and short-sighted.
"The US has been remarkably flexible about a lack of democracy among its allies," he says.
Carter warns America risks damaging its reputation by siding with "increasingly unpopular" regimes like Bakiyev's.
Though gaining power peacefully in 2005 after the so-called "Tulip Revolution", Bakiyev's regime was soon swamped in controversy.
Bakiyev promised reforms after massive anti-corruption protests in 2006. But anti-corruption agency Transparency International still named Kyrgyzstan one of the world's most dishonest countries as late as last year.
After Russia offered Kyrgyzstan a $2 billion loan in early 2009, Bakiyev threatened to evict the Americans from Manas Air Base. But he backtracked a few months later, signing a fresh deal with the US worth over NZ$200 million.
That deal extended the U.S lease on Manas and incensed both Kyrgyz opposition parties and Russia.
Bakiyev and some American allies like Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili blame Russia for the recent riots, a claim denied by Moscow.
"It is notable that only a day after the fall of Bakiyev's government, the opposition has already coordinated with Moscow," Stratfor analysts say.
"Even if Russia did not orchestrate the coup in Kyrgyzstan, it is now clear that they are working to benefit from it."
Chris Wilson, from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, says it is too early to say when the situation in Bishkek will stabilise.
He says the Ministry advises New Zealanders against all non-essential travel to Kyrgyzstan.
A spokesperson for the New Zealand Embassy in Moscow said contact with Kyrgyzstan is patchy.
"It is very difficult to have a clear picture of the situation on the ground. Communication is difficult at present - phone contact is particularly problematic and email is erratic."
New Zealand has no embassies in any of the central Asian republics.
"It's not a top priority region for us, but we do have strategic interests in the stability of the region," Wilson says.
"Our Moscow embassy is probably pretty stretched," Chris Carter says.
"Our diplomats there may have visited Central Asia once in their careers."
President Bakiyev's location is unconfirmed, but he has refused to resign despite the opposition takeover.
Most sources say he escaped to his power base in the country's South, while other reports indicate he has fled the country altogether.
