MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - Uzbek authorities made the right decision by setting a 6-months deadline for the withdrawal of the U.S. airbase in Karshi-Khanabad, Speaker of the Federation Council, parliament's upper house, Sergei Mironov told a news conference Monday.

Uzbek authorities allowed the deployment of a U.S. military base in Uzbekistan at a time when it was necessary for the counterterrorist operation in Afghanistan, he said.

"However, the U.S. government announced on numerous occasions that the operation had been completed and now it is time for the Americans to leave Uzbekistan," Mironov said.

Uzbekistan, like any other country, has the right to make steps according to "its sovereign interests," he said.

Mironov said "only time would tell" if other Central Asian republics would make the same decision.