DUSHANBE, August 2, 2013, Asia-Plus — Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev, who accompanied President Emomali Rahmon on his visit to Moscow, has remained in the Russian capital to solve some technical issues of agreements that were reached by Emomali Rahmon and Vladimir Putin yesterday, a well-informed source in the Tajik government told Asia-Plus today.
Local experts consider that Khairulloyev has been left in Moscow to discuss details of implementation of agreements reached by Russia and Tajikistan on modernization of Tajik armed forces in exchange for extension of the lease of the Russian military base in Tajikistan.
Many Tajik experts believe that the delay in solving this issue and ratifying the agreement on duty-free supplies of Russian oil products to Tajikistan as well as easing some of the registration restrictions for Tajik migrant workers coming to Russia has resulted in Tajikistan delaying ratification of the agreement on extension of the lease of the Russian military base in its territory.
