DUSHANBE, May 30, 2013, Asia-Plus — The Tajik legislature has not yet ratified the Russian military base lease extension and some experts in Dushanbe attribute the latest problems in bilateral relations between Tajikistan and Russia to that.
“The Government has not yet submitted the agreement on the lease for the Russian military base in Tajikistan for ratification to the Parliament,” an official source at the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) told Asia-Plus in an interview.
“Since lawmakers will leave for their summer recess on June 1, one may say with confidence that ratification of the Russian military base lease extension may be delayed at least until autumn,” the source added.
However, there were cases when lawmakers had to interrupt their recess for ratification of any important agreements or consideration of important draft laws.
Thus, an extraordinary session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon was convened in August 2011 for adoption of the amnesty law. Last year, law makers interrupted their recess in early September for consideration of a new tax code.
Meanwhile, Russia’s lower house (State Duma) of parliament approved this law on April 19 and the Federation Council (Russia’s upper chamber of parliament) passed it on April 27. President Vladimir Putin signed the federal law on the ratification of this agreement on May 7.
Moscow and Dushanbe clinched the agreement in October last year to extend the lease of the Russian military base in Tajikistan until at least 2042, with possible five-year extensions afterwards.
The agreement reportedly states that during its presence in Tajikistan, the Russian base will protect the interests of Russia and Tajikistan, ensure Tajikistan’s security jointly with Tajikistani armed forces, Russia’s own armed forces, and other troops and bodies in both countries.
To achieve these objectives, Russia will provide Tajikistan with weapons and military and special equipment in accordance with Russia’s laws on military technical cooperation with foreign countries.
The agreement regulates, in particular, the status of the Russian military base personnel, its jurisdiction and everyday work, and sets out the procedures for using the base together with Tajikistan’s armed forces.
The base was officially opened in 2004 under a previous agreement, which was signed in 1993, and hosts Russia’s largest military contingent deployed abroad.
A total of some 6,000 Russian troops are stationed at three military facilities collectively known as the 201st military base – in Dushanbe, Qurgon Teppa, some 100 kilometers from Dushanbe, and Kulob, about 200 kilometers southwest of Dushanbe.
