Tajikistan approves Russian military base deployment terms

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tajikistan has approved Russian terms for an agreement on a lease extension for a Russian army base in the central Asian nation after 2014, Russia's ground forces commander Vladimir Chirkin said on Tuesday, July 17, according to RIA Novosti.

"The Tajikistan side considers the draft agreement between Russia and Tajikistan, strengthening the 201st army base's presence there for another 49 years, as acceptable. The republic's leadership intends to bring about a joint agreement quickly," Chirkin said.

The draft agreement maintains the existing terms for the base's tenure in Tajikistan on a non-paying basis, he added.

Talks between the two sides had recently become difficult, with Tajikistan demanding at least $250 million a year for the rent of the base, Kommersant business daily reported earlier this month, citing an unnamed Tajik source.

The Tajikistan base was opened in 2004 and is the largest foreign base for Russia’s ground forces with up to 7,000 servicemen stationed there.