11-15-2003, 02:54 AM
India to help in upgrading Ayni airbase
Shobori Ganguli/ Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
The question was waiting to be asked and the replies came promptly. The issue was India's decision to assist in the reconstruction of the Ayni airbase near Dushanbe, the Tajik Capital. Following reports about India's decision to rebuild the airbase, there was considerable speculation about the presence of Indian military troops in this strategic Central Asian country.
Asked to elaborate on India's plans, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said: "It has been decided that an existing airbase will be upgraded. India has proposed to assist in this," he said, adding that he knew many people were interested in knowing about this. Tajikistan President Rakhmonov was far less diplomatic than his Indian counterpart in pointing to the questioner that he knew where the question came from, implying Moscow.
"In the past few years, we have been asking several countries, including Russia, for assistance to rebuild the Ayni airbase. From everywhere we have received negative responses. We were offered grants to the order of $5 million for reconstruction. Existence of this airport is not a secret. It served as a military base during the Soviet times. It was thrown into disrepair and abuse after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the civil war which followed. For many years we approached various organisations and countries so that the airbase could become a reserve airport for Dushanbe. We then approached the Indian Government. In response there is reconstruction taking place. This is not a secret," the Tajik President said upfront.
The issue of the Ayni airbase set aside, the two leaders explained at length the strategic significance of Mr Vajpayee's visit, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister since Tajikistan's independence. Tajikistan attaches a lot of significance to its Agreement with India on Military Technical Cooperation that provides for the training of Tajik armed forces in India, apart from military exercises. President Rakhmonov said Tajikistan is in particular need of this since his country got nothing in its share after the Soviet collapse. Ten years down the road, Tajikistan is looking for strategic partners in Asia and this is where India steps in to mutual benefit.
India has offered assistance in the infrastructure of Tajikistan's Military Training College, Mr Vajpayee said, adding that, as part of defence training, there will be contacts between the Tajik armed forces and their Indian counterparts in specialised areas.
Mr Vajpayee emphasised another crucial area where the two countries would be looking to cooperate closely - international terrorism. The two sides have signed an Agreement on Terrorism apart from an Extradition Treaty that would facilitate joint combat against the terror trade. As members of the international coalition against terror, Mr Vajpayee also announced the decision to set up a Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism. Tajikistan is strategically crucial to India in this regard because of its access to Afghanistan. A foothold in this country therefore gives India strategic advantage in monitoring terror export from Afghanistan where the Taliban is regrouping at an alarming pace.
Asked to elaborate on Tajikistan's role in the stability and security of Central Asia, President Rakhmonov said: "Tajikistan for all these years has been playing a key role. We have experienced terror. We don't know about it through mere hearsay. Till September 11, Tajikistan has been acting as a buffer country, protecting Europe from terrorism and drug-trafficking from Afghanistan. On many occasions we have called upon the international community, to try and warn them about Afghanistan and the need to create a security belt around it. Probably, the international community needed September 11." India, too, has a role in promoting stability and security in the region, he said.
The Joint Declaration signed by the two leaders here on Friday says the JWG would aid cooperation in combating organised crime, money laundering, illegal trafficking in weapons, international terrorism and other transnational crimes. "In this context, they reiterated that terrorism cannot be justified on any ground whatsoever. It must be condemned unambiguously and eradicated where it exists," the declaration stated.
For Tajikistan, India is "one of its strategic partners in Asia," President Rakhmonov said. Mr Vajpayee underscored the fact that the two countries need closer cooperation not simply because of the ancient historical links but in the current global context as well. In this context, both leaders "noted with satisfaction the increased bilateral contacts and the frequency of exchanges at political and senior officials levels between the two countries." India has opened a cultural centre in Dushanbe; Tajikistan has recently opened its Embassy in New Delhi. Apart from this direct flights are already operating between Delhi and Dushanbe since February 2003.
Tajikistan also expressed its support for India's membership of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO). "Noting India's geographical proximity and historical links with Central Asia, and its active participation on regional and global matters of cooperation, the Tajik side expressed its belief that India's membership of the SCO would add to the strength of that organisation when it decides to take a new member," the Joint Declaration said. The two sides agree that cooperation between Tajikistan and India would further the cause of peace and stability in Asia, and globally.
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Shobori Ganguli/ Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
The question was waiting to be asked and the replies came promptly. The issue was India's decision to assist in the reconstruction of the Ayni airbase near Dushanbe, the Tajik Capital. Following reports about India's decision to rebuild the airbase, there was considerable speculation about the presence of Indian military troops in this strategic Central Asian country.
Asked to elaborate on India's plans, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said: "It has been decided that an existing airbase will be upgraded. India has proposed to assist in this," he said, adding that he knew many people were interested in knowing about this. Tajikistan President Rakhmonov was far less diplomatic than his Indian counterpart in pointing to the questioner that he knew where the question came from, implying Moscow.
"In the past few years, we have been asking several countries, including Russia, for assistance to rebuild the Ayni airbase. From everywhere we have received negative responses. We were offered grants to the order of $5 million for reconstruction. Existence of this airport is not a secret. It served as a military base during the Soviet times. It was thrown into disrepair and abuse after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the civil war which followed. For many years we approached various organisations and countries so that the airbase could become a reserve airport for Dushanbe. We then approached the Indian Government. In response there is reconstruction taking place. This is not a secret," the Tajik President said upfront.
The issue of the Ayni airbase set aside, the two leaders explained at length the strategic significance of Mr Vajpayee's visit, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister since Tajikistan's independence. Tajikistan attaches a lot of significance to its Agreement with India on Military Technical Cooperation that provides for the training of Tajik armed forces in India, apart from military exercises. President Rakhmonov said Tajikistan is in particular need of this since his country got nothing in its share after the Soviet collapse. Ten years down the road, Tajikistan is looking for strategic partners in Asia and this is where India steps in to mutual benefit.
India has offered assistance in the infrastructure of Tajikistan's Military Training College, Mr Vajpayee said, adding that, as part of defence training, there will be contacts between the Tajik armed forces and their Indian counterparts in specialised areas.
Mr Vajpayee emphasised another crucial area where the two countries would be looking to cooperate closely - international terrorism. The two sides have signed an Agreement on Terrorism apart from an Extradition Treaty that would facilitate joint combat against the terror trade. As members of the international coalition against terror, Mr Vajpayee also announced the decision to set up a Joint Working Group on Counterterrorism. Tajikistan is strategically crucial to India in this regard because of its access to Afghanistan. A foothold in this country therefore gives India strategic advantage in monitoring terror export from Afghanistan where the Taliban is regrouping at an alarming pace.
Asked to elaborate on Tajikistan's role in the stability and security of Central Asia, President Rakhmonov said: "Tajikistan for all these years has been playing a key role. We have experienced terror. We don't know about it through mere hearsay. Till September 11, Tajikistan has been acting as a buffer country, protecting Europe from terrorism and drug-trafficking from Afghanistan. On many occasions we have called upon the international community, to try and warn them about Afghanistan and the need to create a security belt around it. Probably, the international community needed September 11." India, too, has a role in promoting stability and security in the region, he said.
The Joint Declaration signed by the two leaders here on Friday says the JWG would aid cooperation in combating organised crime, money laundering, illegal trafficking in weapons, international terrorism and other transnational crimes. "In this context, they reiterated that terrorism cannot be justified on any ground whatsoever. It must be condemned unambiguously and eradicated where it exists," the declaration stated.
For Tajikistan, India is "one of its strategic partners in Asia," President Rakhmonov said. Mr Vajpayee underscored the fact that the two countries need closer cooperation not simply because of the ancient historical links but in the current global context as well. In this context, both leaders "noted with satisfaction the increased bilateral contacts and the frequency of exchanges at political and senior officials levels between the two countries." India has opened a cultural centre in Dushanbe; Tajikistan has recently opened its Embassy in New Delhi. Apart from this direct flights are already operating between Delhi and Dushanbe since February 2003.
Tajikistan also expressed its support for India's membership of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO). "Noting India's geographical proximity and historical links with Central Asia, and its active participation on regional and global matters of cooperation, the Tajik side expressed its belief that India's membership of the SCO would add to the strength of that organisation when it decides to take a new member," the Joint Declaration said. The two sides agree that cooperation between Tajikistan and India would further the cause of peace and stability in Asia, and globally.
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