BISHKEK, March 19 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Kyrgyzstan has approved a bill allowing the transit of NATO military cargo by land to and from Afghanistan, the government's press service said on Tuesday.

It is now subject to ratification by the country’s parliament.

Kyrgyzstan signed the agreement with the 28-member military alliance in May, during a NATO summit in Chicago.

The accord is designed to help international efforts to ensure the security and stabilization of Afghanistan.

The Manas Military Base near Bishkek, set up by the United States in 2001, is the main transit hub for NATO forces in Afghanistan. Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev announced plans in November to shut the base down by 2014, when the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is to be pulled out of Afghanistan.