DUSHANBE, July 3, 2012, Asia-Plus – The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has decided to suspend funding for development of Russia’s military base in Tajikistan while “an uneasy negotiating process on issues related to deployment of the base in Tajikistan after 2014 is going on,” the Russian news agency Interfax reports.
Army General Nikolai Makarov, Chief of the General Chief Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, was quoted as saying that the Ministry of Defense of Russia will not allocate funds for the development of Russia’s military base in Tajikistan while an uneasy negotiating process on issues related to deployment of the base in Tajikistan after 2014 is going on.
“The negotiations are making difficult progress, but we hope common sense will prevail,” Makarov told Interfax in an interview.
He reportedly noted that the two countries had reached an agreement to sign a formal agreement extending the presence of Russia”s military base in Tajikistan after 2014 in the first quarter of 2012. “Unfortunately, this has not happened. Tajikistan has suddenly begun to be obstinate and we have been forced to suspend funding for development of the base until the situation clarifies,” the general stressed.
As it had been reported earlier, in a report released at the session of the Federation Council (Russia’s upper house of parliament), Russian Ground Forces commander, Colonel-General Vladimir Chirkin, revealed on June 26 that the agreement extending the presence of Russia’s military base in Tajikistan for another 49 years is under threat. “There are many problems which may put under threat the signing of the agreement on extension of the presence of Russia”s military base in Tajikistan,” Chirkin said, adding that Tajikistan proposed to cut the presence of the Russian military base to 10 years.
“In connection with the predicted aggravation of interstate contradictions in the field of use of land and power-and-water resources and lands in Central Asia local conflicts with participation of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan may arise,” the Russian general said.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan on July 1 says that politically incorrect statement made by General Chirkin that predicts the possibility of appearance of local conflicts in Central Asia will scarcely promote the establishment of constructive and good-neighborly relations between the countries of the region.
We will recall that Tajik Foreign Minister told reporters in Dushanbe on July 18, 2011 that Tajik territory cannot be used by a foreign military free of charge. Some Russian media source reported last year that Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi suggested that Russia should pay 300 million annually and they deemed this suggestion “unrealistic.”
Under the current 10-year lease signed in 2004, Russia gets exclusive use of three military bases and joint use of an air base free of charge. During their talks in Dushanbe on September 2, 2011, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev agreed to sign a formal agreement extending the presence of Russia”s 201st Division in Tajikistan for another 49 years.
The presence of Russian troops in Tajikistan reportedly accounts for Russia”s second-largest military contingent outside its own territory — following only the 13,000-strong Black Sea Fleet in the Ukrainian city of Sevastopol.
