DUSHANBE, July 12, 2012, Asia-Plus — Russian media outlet, Kommersant, on July 12 quoted “a source close to the negotiations on extension of Russian military base’s presence in Tajikistan” as saying that the Tajik authorities are allegedly seeking 250 million U.S. dollars per year from Russian in compensation for deployment of its military base.
Meanwhile, representative of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation told Kommersant that they have not yet received Tajik version of an agreement regarding further presence of the Russian military base in Tajikistan, and therefore, they cannot confirm or deny that information.
Tajikistan and Russia were supposed to settle the terms of the presence of the Russian military base in Tajikistan in the first quarter of this year. The sides, however, failed to conclude the negotiations in time.
Russian Ground Forces commander, Colonel-General Vladimir Chirkin, stated in early July that Dushanbe allegedly suggested more than 20 terms, which are constantly changing and for the most part, these terms are unacceptable for Moscow.
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 reported on July 4.
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.
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.
In a report released at a joint news conference in Kaliningrad, Tajik Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Sherali Khairulloyev revealed on July 5 that Tajikistan is preparing its own version of the agreement on the presence of Russian military base on the Tajik territory. Tajik defense minister said that a government commission (for the preparation of the contract), headed by the prime minister, had been set up. Khairulloyev is also member of this commission.
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.
