You're reading: Russia pushes Tajikistan to accept military base deal

MOSCOW/DUSHANBE - Russia pressed Tajikistan on Thursday to accept a deal that would extend Moscow's lease on a military base in the strategically important country, pushing to break a deadlock in negotiations which Russia has blamed on NATO's influence.

Russia sees its presence on the former Soviet Union’s
southern fringe as vital to ensuring stability in the turbulent
region after NATO pulls out of neighbouring Afghanistan in 2014.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Tajik leader
Imomali Rakhmon said in September they had agreed to extend the
base lease for 49 years, but the deal has not been finalised as
the sides have not agreed over money and Dushanbe appears to be
trying to reduce the length of the future lease.

With the current lease due to expire on Jan. 1, 2014, Moscow
has stepped up the pressure in recent days.

“(The situation) in Central Asia is very complicated. The
Americans are leaving Afghanistan. How the situation will
develop – it is very difficult to predict,” said Konstantin
Biryulin, deputy head of a Russian government arms cooperation
body.

“I can say the base in Tajikistan perhaps represents a
greater interest for Tajikistan than for Russia,” he said in
comments reported by state news agency RIA.

Moscow and ex-Soviet Central Asian states fear that NATO’s
pullout of Afghanistan in two years will leave the predominantly
Muslim region south of Russia susceptible to Taliban influence.

Russian officials have blamed the West for complicating
negotiations with Tajikistan.

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in charge
of the defence industry said “the presence of such huge NATO
units near Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and other Central Asian
partners is a factor of influence they cannot ignore”.

“The forces of NATO in Afghanistan are not eternal but
Russia will be an eternal partner of these countries and if, God
forbid, the situation deteriorates for security and the people
of the countries, they will remember Russia,” he said.

A total of 6,000 soldiers are stationed across three Tajik
towns, forming Russia’s biggest land base abroad. Some Russian
nationalist politicians still call Central Asia “Russia’s
vulnerable soft underbelly”.

Russia used the troops to support Tajikistan’s secular
government which fought Islamist guerrillas during a 1992-97
civil war, helping Rakhmon retain his position as president.

“Tajikistan is an independent country and its decisions
proceed from its own interests without taking other countries
into consideration,” a high-level Tajik government official told
Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said that difficulties with Moscow revolved around the
cost and the length of time for which Moscow wants rights to the
base, adding that Tajikistan had offered to lease it for 10
years with an additional 10-year option.

Press reports that said Tajikistan wants $300 million for
the base were untrue and the actual amount was “much, much
less”, the official said.