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India
India¡¯s Ayni military base in Tajikistan is Russia-locked
Moscow has been unrelenting in its stand that it doesn¡¯t want foreign powers to deployfighter aircraft in its backyardand a former territory.
~
India is very serious on the Ayni air base project to gain astrategic foothold in Central Asia.
~
Ayni is the much-spoken word in Indo-Russian strategic engagement. The Ayni air base in Tajikistan happens tobe India¡¯s first and only foreign military base. And yet,this base is not fully operational for the simple reason that an air base cannot be operational without deployment of fighter aircraft,something that is unlikely to happen without Russia¡¯s green signal. India¡¯s Ayni dream is Russia-locked.
~
The issue will inevitably figure during the highest Indo-Russian engagement when Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is another matter that the issue is unlikely to find a mention in the publicised talking points between the two sides, like it has seldom been.
~
Ayni is going to be among the high points of discussions between India and Russia at their 13 th annual summit in New Delhi in December.
~
India has spent $70 million between2002 and 2010 to renovate the Ayni base. India has extended the Ayni runway to 3,200 metres and installed state-of-the-art navigational and air defence equipment there. And yet, India has not been able to make Ayni truly amilitary base that fits to the classic definition of an air base.
~
All these years the Indians have run into the Russian wallas Moscow has been unrelenting in its stand that it doesn¡¯t want foreign powers to deploy fighter aircraft in itsbackyard and a former territory. The Russians have thus far steadfastly refused to grant this favour to its age-old strategic partner ¨C India.
~
Ayni Air Force Base, also known as Gissar Air Base, is a military air base in Tajikistan, just 10 km west ofthe capital Dushanbe, which served as a major military base of the Soviet Union in the Cold War era. India wadedin the Tajikistan strategic matrix after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, though it took India a good one decade to do so.
~
But that happened when Russia was weak ¨C militarily, politically and economically. This scenario is no longer applicable with the now resurgent Russia.
~
India is very serious on the Ayni air base project to gain astrategic foothold in Central Asia and improve its C3I (Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence) network to fortifyits operations in Afghanistan and keep a close eye on Pakistan.
~
Ayni is located just 10 km west of the Tajik capital Dushanbe and had served as a major military base of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
~
The Russian ¡°Net¡± has prevailed that was reflected in an on-record statement by Tajik foreign minister Hamrohan Zarifi in January 2011 who ruled out deployment of Indian or American forces at Ayni. Zarifi¡¯s statement coincided with Tajikistan officially launching negotiations with Russia to discuss possible deployment of Russian militaryat Ayni.
~
India¡¯s military presence in Tajikistan, be it in Ayni or in Farkhor, would give India the much-needed depth and range in tackling Pakistan¡¯s threats to its interest in Afghanistan. It would also prove to be a geo-strategic game-changer and give a larger role in South Asia, the implications of which would inevitably go far beyond the Indo-Pakistan sub-text.
~
The importance of Tajikistan for India cannot be overstated. Tajikistan¡¯s importance in the new great game that is likely to unfold inCentral and South Asia after the withdrawal of the US led NATO troops from Afghanistanin 2014 is well known to the strategic establishments of the region. New equations will inevitably emerge after the drawdown of the American forces in Afghanistan. The regional powers will be playing this game to establish a foothold in Afghanistan either in association with the Karzai regime or with the Taliban. The neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, like Tajikistan, will be playing a pivotal role in the regional geopolitics.
~
India¡¯s Ayni military base in Tajikistan is Russia-locked
Moscow has been unrelenting in its stand that it doesn¡¯t want foreign powers to deployfighter aircraft in its backyardand a former territory.
~
India is very serious on the Ayni air base project to gain astrategic foothold in Central Asia.
~
Ayni is the much-spoken word in Indo-Russian strategic engagement. The Ayni air base in Tajikistan happens tobe India¡¯s first and only foreign military base. And yet,this base is not fully operational for the simple reason that an air base cannot be operational without deployment of fighter aircraft,something that is unlikely to happen without Russia¡¯s green signal. India¡¯s Ayni dream is Russia-locked.
~
The issue will inevitably figure during the highest Indo-Russian engagement when Russian President Vladimir Putin holds talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is another matter that the issue is unlikely to find a mention in the publicised talking points between the two sides, like it has seldom been.
~
Ayni is going to be among the high points of discussions between India and Russia at their 13 th annual summit in New Delhi in December.
~
India has spent $70 million between2002 and 2010 to renovate the Ayni base. India has extended the Ayni runway to 3,200 metres and installed state-of-the-art navigational and air defence equipment there. And yet, India has not been able to make Ayni truly amilitary base that fits to the classic definition of an air base.
~
All these years the Indians have run into the Russian wallas Moscow has been unrelenting in its stand that it doesn¡¯t want foreign powers to deploy fighter aircraft in itsbackyard and a former territory. The Russians have thus far steadfastly refused to grant this favour to its age-old strategic partner ¨C India.
~
Ayni Air Force Base, also known as Gissar Air Base, is a military air base in Tajikistan, just 10 km west ofthe capital Dushanbe, which served as a major military base of the Soviet Union in the Cold War era. India wadedin the Tajikistan strategic matrix after the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, though it took India a good one decade to do so.
~
But that happened when Russia was weak ¨C militarily, politically and economically. This scenario is no longer applicable with the now resurgent Russia.
~
India is very serious on the Ayni air base project to gain astrategic foothold in Central Asia and improve its C3I (Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence) network to fortifyits operations in Afghanistan and keep a close eye on Pakistan.
~
Ayni is located just 10 km west of the Tajik capital Dushanbe and had served as a major military base of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
~
The Russian ¡°Net¡± has prevailed that was reflected in an on-record statement by Tajik foreign minister Hamrohan Zarifi in January 2011 who ruled out deployment of Indian or American forces at Ayni. Zarifi¡¯s statement coincided with Tajikistan officially launching negotiations with Russia to discuss possible deployment of Russian militaryat Ayni.
~
India¡¯s military presence in Tajikistan, be it in Ayni or in Farkhor, would give India the much-needed depth and range in tackling Pakistan¡¯s threats to its interest in Afghanistan. It would also prove to be a geo-strategic game-changer and give a larger role in South Asia, the implications of which would inevitably go far beyond the Indo-Pakistan sub-text.
~
The importance of Tajikistan for India cannot be overstated. Tajikistan¡¯s importance in the new great game that is likely to unfold inCentral and South Asia after the withdrawal of the US led NATO troops from Afghanistanin 2014 is well known to the strategic establishments of the region. New equations will inevitably emerge after the drawdown of the American forces in Afghanistan. The regional powers will be playing this game to establish a foothold in Afghanistan either in association with the Karzai regime or with the Taliban. The neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, like Tajikistan, will be playing a pivotal role in the regional geopolitics.
~
