Media: Tajikistan appreciated the presence of the Russian base in 250 million dollars
Dushanbe wants to get from Moscow for the 201 military base no less than 250 million dollars a year, experts do not rule out that Russia will have to fulfill these requirements, Kommersant reports.
The fact that the authorities of Tajikistan have estimated the stay of the 201 base on their territory "not less than 250 million dollars a year," said an informed Tajik source close to negotiations on the extension of the lease of this military facility.
The scandal surrounding the presence of 7 thousands of Russian military in Tajikistan broke out last week, after Russia accused the Tajik authorities of putting forward unacceptable conditions for extending the lease base and suspended its funding. The Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan called the position of the Russian Federation "politically incorrect." Even the ministers of defense of the two countries, who met at a meeting of the CIS Council in Kaliningrad, could not bring the situation out of the impasse.
According to a source in the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Tajikistan put forward more than 20 “unclear and unacceptable requirements for Russia” lease bases. They, in particular, relate to the timing of the deployment of the base, the receipt of military equipment and ammunition for it free of charge. Difficulties, he said, arose with the placement of facilities of the 670th aviation groups and the 303rd separate helicopter squadron at the Aini aerodrome - the dispute is about the joint use of objects, means of aviation technical support and equipment.
According to a source in the Central Office of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russia has not yet received the Tajik version of the draft agreement on the lease of the base, so neither confirm nor deny the figure in 250 million dollars in the Russian military department can not yet.
At the same time, one of the participants in the negotiations from the Russian side expressed outrage at the “clearly overstated” demands of Tajikistan. “This is not about the interests of the Russian Federation alone, but about the general security of the CSTO countries - this is precisely what the presence of Russian troops in Central Asia serves for,” insists the source. “Overpriced numbers taken from the ceiling cannot be the basis for constructive negotiations and are surprising.”
# {weapon} At the same time, yesterday it became known that the Kyrgyz authorities intend to increase the rent for the use of three Russian military facilities - the base of underwater testing - from 2014. weapons in Karakol, the military communications center in Kara-Balta and the radio seismic laboratory in Mailuu-Suu.
In 2014, the lease of these bases ends. Kyrgyzstan is ready to extend it, but on new conditions. “The amount of rent for the Russian bases has not changed since the moment of the conclusion of the contract,” reminded the Minister of Defense of Kyrgyzstan, Major General Talaibek Omuraliev. “Now we will review financial commitments between our departments.”
According to him, the amount of rent for military facilities, with the exception of the airbase in Kant, will be increased to reflect inflation. The air base, the minister explained, is designed to fulfill the tasks of the CSTO, which includes Kyrgyzstan, and therefore Bishkek does not ask for payment for it. Moreover, the general recalled that Kyrgyzstan itself pays more than 300 million soms (230 million rubles) per year for utilities of the air base.
According to the Kyrgyz Defense Ministry, now the Russian Federation is paying about 4,5 million dollars a year for three military facilities. In the offset of the lease is the preparation of the Kyrgyz military in Russian universities, writes "Kommersant".
General Omuraliev insists that by raising rental rates, his country "does not pursue commercial interests." Meanwhile, experts believe that for Tajikistan, and possibly for Kyrgyzstan, the monetary factor has played an important role.
“In Moscow, many people are surprised at how synchronous problems arise in the sphere of military cooperation between the Russian Federation and its partners: from disputes over the lease of the Qabala radar station in Azerbaijan and the suspension of Uzbekistan’s participation in the CSTO to the increase in rental rates by Tajikistan and now Kyrgyzstan. Some see this as the hands of external players, ”explained Alexander Karavayev, deputy general director of the Center for the Study of the Post-Soviet Space of Moscow State University. “But in the conditions of crisis and the absence of substantial sources of income for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the Russian military bases for them are not a matter of geopolitics, but of commercial gain. Since Russia has few projects that would tie this part of Central Asia to it, Moscow will have to pay more. It has practically no other mechanisms that would compensate for the withdrawal from this region. ”
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin suggested that the position of Tajikistan on the deployment of the 201 of the Russian military base could be indirectly influenced by NATO. In his opinion, the position of Tajikistan, as well as of Uzbekistan, which suspended its participation in the CSTO, is due to such a “influence factor” as the presence in Afghanistan of a large military group - the International Security Assistance Force.
In September last year, during the visit of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev to Tajikistan, the parties agreed to sign an agreement in the first quarter of this year to extend the stay of the 201 th military station in Tajikistan for 49 years. However, then representatives of the Tajik Foreign Ministry said that none of the parties to the negotiation process is not forcing, so the agreement will be signed later.
Later, the Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces of Russia expressed the opinion that the issue of further deployment of the 2014 of the Russian military base after 201 in Tajikistan has not yet been resolved, since the authorities are making unacceptable demands.
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General of the Army Nikolai Makarov said that the Russian Defense Ministry would not allocate funds for the development of the 201 of the Russian military base. “The negotiation process on this base is difficult. But we hope that common sense will still win, ”said Makarov.
He recalled that the two countries had agreed that a protocol on the extension of the agreement on the deployment of the 201-th USRD in Tajikistan after the 2014 year will be signed in the first quarter of the 2012 year. "Unfortunately, it did not happen. Tajikistan suddenly became obstinate, and we were forced to suspend the allocation of funds for the construction of the base until the situation was clarified, ”the general said.
Tajik political scientist Abdugani Mamadazimov said in an interview to the VIEW newspaper that during his September visit to Dushanbe, Dmitry Medvedev did not make arrangements with Tajikistan before announcing the extension of the lease period of the base by 49 years.
201-I RVB has about 6 thousand troops stationed in three garrisons - near the Tajik cities of Dushanbe, Kulyab and Kurgan-Tube. This base is the largest land Russian military base located outside Russia.
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