Monday, Oct 18, 2004
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By Vladimir Radyuhin
MOSCOW, OCT. 17. A Russian military base was formally unveiled in Tajikistan on Sunday as part of Moscow's efforts to consolidate its military presence in former Soviet Central Asia. A Russian flag was hoisted at the base today at a ceremony attended by the visiting Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the Tajik President, Imomali Rakhmonov. The base, Russia's biggest outpost on foreign soil, will be manned by 5,000 troops and will include an air force unit deployed at the Aini airport near the Tajik capital Dushanbe.
Symbolic payment
Under an agreement signed on Saturday, Russia at a symbolic annual payment of 39 cents will lease for 49 years a base where Russia's 201st Motorised Rifle Division was deployed in Tajikistan before the break-up of the Soviet Union. The Russian presence played a stabilising role during Tajikistan's bloody civil war in 1992-97 and provided a shield against armed incursions and drug trafficking from Afghanistan. Mr. Putin said the military base in Tajikistan would be part of a new security setup for Central Asia that also includes the Russian air force base in Kant, Kyrgyzstan, opened last year. "Together with Kant, this base will be a reliable element in a consolidated system of collective security for the region," the Russian leader said at the dedication ceremony. "The main goal of this system is to create conditions for neutralising terrorists and extremist attacks across the Commonwealth of Independent States and Russia, (and) help combat drug trafficking and organised crime."
A breakthrough
Mr. Putin said Russia was "determined to increase our military presence in Tajikistan." In another breakthrough for Mr. Putin, Tajikistan handed over to Russia full ownership of the former Soviet strategic electronic spy station "Okno" (window) in the Tajik mountains. .
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