DUSHANBE, May 14, 2013, Asia-Plus -- According to an article posted on the website of the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta (Independent Newspaper), Russia has drafted an agreement on including the Ayni airfield in its military base in Tajikistan.

According to the newspaper, the draft agreement has been worked out on an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Department for International Military Cooperation at the Ministry of Defense.

The article notes that there is behind-the-scenes geopolitical controversy over the airfield because not only Russia has participated in modernization of it; India has also participated in modernization of the Ayni airfield.

The article also stresses that “Tajik President Emomali Rahmon would not mind leasing the airfield to Americans after they leave Afghanistan.”

Nezavisimaya Gazeta notes that over the past five months, Russia has accepted almost all proposals of the Tajik side.  “In March, Russia eased some of the registration restrictions for Tajik migrant workers coming to Russia and cancelled export fees on oil products for Tajikistan.  During his visit to Dushanbe in March this year, the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Valery Gerasimov, promised to intensify military and technical aid to Tajikistan.  Though the issue of Russia’s large investments in the economy of Tajikistan hung,” the newspaper stresses.

“Such an uncertainty may bring all efforts of Moscow to implement its geopolitical goals in the region to nothing.  After the withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan an export of instability may become possible not only to Central Asia but also to Russia,” military expert Eduard Rodyukov was quoted as saying by Nezavisimaya Gazeta .

According to him, Russia ought to provide military aid to Dushanbe and start implementing the promised projects for construction of hydroelectric power plants in Tajikistan.

We will recall that in a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, Tajik Foreign minister Hamrkhon Zarifi noted on January 18, 2013 that the issue of the use of the Ayni airfield near Dushanbe will be discussed after implementation of agreements that were reached during Russian president’s visit to Tajikistan last October.

“We have to sign agreements on labor migration, duty-free delivery of Russian oil products to Tajikistan and Russia’s participation in hydroelectricity projects in Tajikistan and ratify an agreement on conditions for further stay of the Russian military base in Tajikistan and then we may discuss the issue of the use of the Ayni airfield,” Zarifi said.

The renovated Ayni airfield belonging to the Tajik Ministry of Defense was officially opened on September 3, 2010.

India contributed 70 million USD toward the renovation and sent specialists to help with the work.  The airfield, located some 20 kilometers west of Dushanbe, now has state-of-the-art navigational and defense technology. Its runway was also extended to 3,200 meters so that all types of aircraft can land there.