11-13-2003, 08:41 AM
Foothold in central Asia: India gets own military base
![[Image: map_ayni.jpg]](http://www.indianexpress.com/ieimages/specials/map_ayni.jpg)
Tajikistan:10 km from Tajik capital, Indian troops, air platforms to be stationed in Ayni; MoD staff work on runway, Rs 50-cr upgrade
SHISHIR GUPTA
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12: When Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee lands at Dushanbe tomorrow evening, a contingent of the Indian Defence Ministryâs military engineering services (MES) workers will be packing up after a gruelling day of building a runway at an air base that lies 10 km north-east of the Tajikistan capital. Welcome to Ayni, Indiaâs first ever military base in a foreign countryâpost Sri Lanka.
A Defence Ministry spokesman today confirmed that New Delhi is involved in upgrading infrastructure at the Ayni air base and ââhas plans to station its troopsââ and air platforms in the near future to support its energy security interests in Central Asia.
Replying to a detailed questionnaire from The Indian Express, officials confirmed that New Delhi is revamping the Ayni air base as part of the ââdeepening India-Tajik defence cooperation.ââ This Tajik base has been lying in a dilapidated condition since 1985 and India is overhauling it at the cost of over Rs 50 crore.
The work involves building a runway that can handle fighter and heavy lift transport aircraft and steeling up existing hangars to house them. The MES will also build accommodation within the base in order to station troops, who will train Tajik forces and keep an eye on Indian interests in Central Asia.
Indian oil major ONGC Videsh Limited has tied up with Kazakhstan government for oil exploration in Alibekmola and Kurmangazi fields. OVL currently has 15 per cent stake in Alibekmola and 10 per cent in Kurmangazi oil fields that straddle the Kazakh-Russia border. Significantly, India and Tajik special forces held joint exercises in February this year.
Although the upgradation of Ayni base was cleared at the highest levels of Indian government, the repair work has begun in the earnest only couple of months ago with Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy playing a key role. Vajpayee gave the green signal, but it was Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Ministry officials who pushed the project towards fruition.
Last April, Fernandes, accompanied by then defence secretary Yogendra Narain and top MEA officials, quietly visited Dushanbe and signed the India-Tajik defence pact. Ministry officials say that Ayni is a symbol of mutual defence relationship between the two countries and sensitivities of Russia and China have been kept in mind.
Moscow, on its part, is eyeing Kulyab air base near the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border and has established its military presence by setting up a base in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan last month.
However, Tajikistanâs neighbour Pakistan is suspicious about the defence cooperation between Dushanbe and New Delhi and believes it is part of the Indian plans to ââencircleââ Islamabad. It is learnt that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf raised the air base issue with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmanov before the CICA summit in Almatty last June.
Vajpayee, who is meeting Rakhmanov on November 14, will push for expanding the bilateral relationship with Tajikistan that goes beyond defence and focuses on trade. Even though Ayni is a half-hour drive from Dushanbe, Vajpayee has no plans of visiting the base.
[url="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=35229"]http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.ph...ontent_id=35229[/url]
Tajikistan:10 km from Tajik capital, Indian troops, air platforms to be stationed in Ayni; MoD staff work on runway, Rs 50-cr upgrade
SHISHIR GUPTA
NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 12: When Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee lands at Dushanbe tomorrow evening, a contingent of the Indian Defence Ministryâs military engineering services (MES) workers will be packing up after a gruelling day of building a runway at an air base that lies 10 km north-east of the Tajikistan capital. Welcome to Ayni, Indiaâs first ever military base in a foreign countryâpost Sri Lanka.
A Defence Ministry spokesman today confirmed that New Delhi is involved in upgrading infrastructure at the Ayni air base and ââhas plans to station its troopsââ and air platforms in the near future to support its energy security interests in Central Asia.
Replying to a detailed questionnaire from The Indian Express, officials confirmed that New Delhi is revamping the Ayni air base as part of the ââdeepening India-Tajik defence cooperation.ââ This Tajik base has been lying in a dilapidated condition since 1985 and India is overhauling it at the cost of over Rs 50 crore.
The work involves building a runway that can handle fighter and heavy lift transport aircraft and steeling up existing hangars to house them. The MES will also build accommodation within the base in order to station troops, who will train Tajik forces and keep an eye on Indian interests in Central Asia.
Indian oil major ONGC Videsh Limited has tied up with Kazakhstan government for oil exploration in Alibekmola and Kurmangazi fields. OVL currently has 15 per cent stake in Alibekmola and 10 per cent in Kurmangazi oil fields that straddle the Kazakh-Russia border. Significantly, India and Tajik special forces held joint exercises in February this year.
Although the upgradation of Ayni base was cleared at the highest levels of Indian government, the repair work has begun in the earnest only couple of months ago with Air Chief S. Krishnaswamy playing a key role. Vajpayee gave the green signal, but it was Defence Minister George Fernandes and External Affairs Ministry officials who pushed the project towards fruition.
Last April, Fernandes, accompanied by then defence secretary Yogendra Narain and top MEA officials, quietly visited Dushanbe and signed the India-Tajik defence pact. Ministry officials say that Ayni is a symbol of mutual defence relationship between the two countries and sensitivities of Russia and China have been kept in mind.
Moscow, on its part, is eyeing Kulyab air base near the Tajikistan-Afghanistan border and has established its military presence by setting up a base in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan last month.
However, Tajikistanâs neighbour Pakistan is suspicious about the defence cooperation between Dushanbe and New Delhi and believes it is part of the Indian plans to ââencircleââ Islamabad. It is learnt that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf raised the air base issue with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmanov before the CICA summit in Almatty last June.
Vajpayee, who is meeting Rakhmanov on November 14, will push for expanding the bilateral relationship with Tajikistan that goes beyond defence and focuses on trade. Even though Ayni is a half-hour drive from Dushanbe, Vajpayee has no plans of visiting the base.
[url="http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=35229"]http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.ph...ontent_id=35229[/url]