NATO's Central Asia envoy Robert Simmons said in Aima Ata Wednesday that the alliance has no plans to use military facilities in Kazakhstan and other Caspian countries after the eviction of US troops from neighboring Uzbekistan.

As NATO has members in and around the Black Sea region -- Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, it was natural for the alliance to establish and use military facilities there, Simmons said.

However, as there is no NATO member state around the Caspian Sea, it would not establish military bases in the region, he said.

Simmons arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday for a three-day visit.

In July, Uzbekistan ordered a pullout of US troops from an air field on its soil that has been a crucial base for troops involved in the US-led operations in Afghanistan.

The loss of the Uzbek air base sparked speculation that the United States would look for alternative military bases in the region.

Source: Xinhua