DUSHANBE, January 19, 2011, Asia-Plus — “The main purpose of the visit to the Central Asian region is for the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to discuss deployment of the U.S. military facilities in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in connection with partial withdrawal of the U.S. military contingent from Afghanistan,” Alexander Knyazev, a senior research employee at the Institute for Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Asia-Plus in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
According to him, the United States wants to strengthen its position in the Central Asian region and “the strategic task of the US regional policy is to create a network of its military facilities in the countries of the region.”
“The United States has decided to move the main might of its military presence in the region northward. Now there ought to expect that the United States will seek opening of new military facilities, bases in Central Asia’s countries. The most probable candidates for deployment of U.S. facilities on their territories are Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan,” the expert said.
He considers that Central Asia is strategically significant region for the United States. “The United States may hold back three large power states from there – China, Russia and Iran. Most likely, the main goal is China”
“If to speak specifically, in Tajikistan, the United States is mostly interested in Murgab, which is located on Tajikistan’s border with China and the Ayni military airfield,” said Knyazev, “In Kyrgyzstan, the United States is mostly interested in the south part of the country (the city of Batken or Osh) and Bishkek Manas International Airport.”
The expert considers that most likely there will be not full-fledged military bases but military infrastructure facilities that would be able to receive a large number of military personnel and armament at any time. “At the usual time, several hundred US troops will control these facilities,” said Knyazev, “This will be not so expensive for the United States.”
Knyazev further added that it could not be ruled out that during her visit to Tajikistan “the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will make Tajik leadership an offer it cannot refuse under the conditions of uncertainty of Russia’s policy and China’s keeping away from all that is not connected directly with its economic interests.”
“As far as Uzbekistan is concerned, the United States’ dependence on Uzbekistan is higher than its dependence on Tajikistan, and therefore, Tashkent has more opportunities to bargain,” said the expert. “In exchange for this, Uzbekistan may demand guarantees for itself against the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), expansion of its participation in economic projects in northern Afghanistan and halting of international criticism of the incumbent regime in Uzbekistan.”
