DUSHANBE, February 26, Asia-Plus — Reconstruction of the Ayni airfield in Tajikistan has not yet been finished and the airstrip and installations are still unable to service flights, Marouf Hasanov, the head of the directorate for foreign military cooperation of the Ministry of Defense (MoD), said, thereby denying report released by some media that the Ayni airfield is allegedly ready to service flights and it will host Indian combat helicopters as “unfounded.”
“The airstrip and installation are still undergoing reconstruction,” said Hasanov, “We still have a lot to do there and the reconstruction works will take at least another 1 or 1? years.”
He added that the report that India has plans to put a squadron of its combat helicopters at the Ayni airfield is absolutely “unfounded and false.”
It is to be noted that an article entitled “Tajik Air Base Is Ready, Gives India Its First Footprint in Strategic Central Asia” by Shishir Gupta that was posted online on The Indian Express website on February 25 says, “India”s first ever air base in Central Asia at Ayni in Tajikistan is now ready and the Defense Ministry has sought a mandate from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to begin operations.”
According to the article, official sources have told The Sunday Express that the Chiefs of Staff Committee has already put its stamp of approval on operating the base. “However, Defense Minister A K Antony has asked the CCS for a formal mandate on force levels before the Indian Air Force moves its platforms to Ayni,” the article noted.
The article says that India refurbished the Ayni air base, 10 kilometers northeast of Dushanbe, at the cost of over Rs 80 crore (equivalent to some 19.5 million US dollars) under a trilateral defense agreement with Tajikistan and Russia. “With its runway extended, perimeter fencing secured and aircraft hangars built, the Ayni airbase is ready after a delay of nearly two years.”
“Under the trilateral agreement, India, Russia and Tajikistan will have command and control of the air base by rotation and a contingent of Defense Services personnel is already in Ayni after military contractors completed construction last December,” the article noted.
According to the article, India has plans to put a squadron of Mi-17 V1 helicopters at Ayni with logistical support coming from Russia in the landlocked Tajikistan. “While Russia is operating fighters from this base, New Delhi does not want to commit fixed-wing platforms for Ayni,” said the article, “The Indian Air Force has already given flying training to Tajikistan air force personnel under the agreement.”
In the meantime, the Tajik defense official noted that Tajikistan and India had not signed any other military cooperation agreement, “except the agreement on reconstruction of the Ayni airfield that was signed in 2002.” “However, this document does not provide for use of the Ayni field by Indian Air Force,” Hasanov said, adding that a training air center is supposed to be opened at the Ayni airfield, “but this issue is still under consideration.”
