DUSHANBE, August 10, 2012, Asia-Plus — “The terms of presence of Russian military base in Tajikistan were the focus of my discussions with our Tajik colleagues,” Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, Anatoly Antonov, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on August 9.
According to him, Russian military presence is guarantee of regional security, “it is guarantee of security of Tajikistan, especially as Russia and Tajikistan are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and our objective is in taking measures to strengthen our allied commitments under this treaty.”
“The negotiations are going on successfully,” Antonov said, noting that the talks are being conducted in a fraternal atmosphere. “I would like to hope that we will be able to complete work on the text of this agreement, which meets national interests of both Tajikistan and Russia in the near future,” Russian general said.
He stressed that there was no question of payment for the presence of the Russian military base in Tajikistan.
On the talks regarding common use of the Ayni airfield in Hisor district, Antonov expressed hope that the negotiations on the airfield would be completed successfully.
Asked about rivalry between world powers in the Central Asian region, Russian high-ranking defense official noted that each country had its national interests in one or another region. “I think that we and the United States have common problems, which we are tackling jointly and I doubt that there ought to speak about rivalry between Russia and the United States in the region,” said Antonov. “The main problem facing the United States and Russia today is the threat of terrorism coupled with weapons of mass destruction.”
Concerning the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Russian general noted that he regretted Uzbekistan’s decision to suspend its membership in the Organization.
A Russian Ministry of Defense delegation, led by Anatoly Antonov, arrived in Dushanbe in the evening of August 7 for a two-day working visit. On August 8, the delegation members held talks with Tajik Prime Minister Oqil Oilov and Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi. The talks held behind closed doors. The prolongation of the Russian military base’s presence in Tajikistan was a major topic of the talks.
We will recall that official Dushanbe has been at odds with Moscow lately on the issue of the prolongation of the Russian military base’s presence in Tajikistan.
The current base agreement ends in 2014. In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi noted on July 16 that talks regarding the military base are continuing and would be held behind firmly closed doors.
On July 17, Tajikistan”s Foreign Ministry denied a statement by the Russian Army’s Ground Forces commander, General Vladimir Chirkin that Dushanbe has allegedly accepted the Kremlin’s demands for “for no-fee operations,” allowing the base to be used by Russia for further 49 years, as baseless.
Under the current 10-year lease signed in 2004, Russia gets exclusive use of three military bases and joint use of an air base in Tajikistan free of charge. In all, there are more than 7,000 servicemen in three bases deployed in Dushanbe, Qurghon Teppa and Kulob.
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.
