Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan ? Kyrgyzstan’s new president said Sunday that the Central Asian country will pursue an independent foreign policy, and will not be “a place for the fulfillment of someone else’s geopolitical interests.”

Kurmanbek Bakiyev, a former opposition leader who has been acting president since coming to power during a March 24 popular uprising, won a landslide victory in a July 10 presidential election and was inaugurated Sunday to lead the former Soviet republic.

Kyrgyzstan hosts about 1,000 U.S.-led troops to support combat operations in Afghanistan – a presence which became particularly important after neighboring Uzbekistan demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops within 180 days.

Bakiyev had said after his election that the necessity of the U.S. base in his country should be discussed, but Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld later won Kyrgyz assurances that American troops can stay in Kyrgyzstan as long as they are needed to bring stability to Afghanistan.

Kyrgyzstan also hosts a Russian military base 20 miles from the U.S. base.