A New US military base in Uzbekistan?
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E-mail China.org.cn, August 30, 2012
Recently, Washington and Tashkent have been discussing the construction of a U.S. Center for Operative Reaction on Uzbek territory, Kommersant reported, citing sources close to Uzbekistan's foreign ministry. The main function of the center, which will be the largest military base US constructed in Central Asia, would be to ease the tension of an escalation in violence after American troops leave Afghanistan in 2014.
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A file photo of a U.S. military base. |
As the U.S. withdrawal date approaches, the contention between Russia and the U.S. over Central Asia is becoming increasingly intense. Central Asian states are also striving to maximize their own benefits, considering existing conflicts between each other and their individual relationships with Russia and the US.
During his visit to Uzbekistan on Aug. 15, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia affairs Robert Blake discussed two important issues with his Uzbek counterparts: one is to reinforce the role that Uzbekistan plays in “The Northern Passage,” which refers to a passage runs through all the Central Asian states through which military goods and workers are transported to U.S. troops and International Security Assistance forces in Afghanistan. The other is how to deal with military equipment after the U.S. and international forces leave Afghanistan. Uzbekistan will receive part of the military equipment being taken out of Afghanistan by the U.S., and some other equipment will be kept in Uzbekistan temporarily. In addition to the arms transfer, Uzbekistan and the U.S. have reached an agreement on constructing a military installation in Uzbek territory, according to Uzbekistan media reports.
Uzbekistan alienated itself from Russia after it suspended its membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Uzbekistan officials said they left the organization due to a disagreement over the CSTO's Afghanistan policy. However, it is widely believed that Uzbekistan intends to pursue connections with the U.S. and to create conditions for the U.S. garrison in Uzbek territory. If it obtains part of the military equipment that is being taken out of Afghanistan by the U.S., Uzbekistan would become the strongest military power in Central Asia.
In order to improve its relationship with Uzbekistan, the U.S. took Uzbekistan off of its black list of human rights offenders, which removed barriers for the military cooperation between the two countries. Russia considers the potential construction of a U.S. military base in Uzbekistan as an extremely negative development, and is still hoping that Tashkent will change its mind. “Our Uzbek partners should realize that if there is a deterioration in the security in the region after 2014, then it will be the CSTO partners who provide security in the region, not the U.S.,” one Russian diplomat said.
Tajikistan is a traditional ally of Russia, and the relations between the two countries are improving. It was reported that the presidents of both Russia and Tajikistan will meet in October to sign a series of political, military, and business cooperation agreements. Recently, Tajikistan agreed to prolong the stay of Russian 201st Motorized Rifle Division military base in Tajik territory.
After U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, Tajikistan, whose territory borders Afghanistan, will be trapped in a dangerous situation. Domestically, the Gorno-Badakhshan region is affecting Tajikistan's stability. Additionally, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have been engaged in disputes over water resources, and Uzbekistan has claimed that Tajiks are forbidden to enter Uzbek territory, which worsened Tajikistan's economy. Uzbekistan's closer ties to the US will put further pressure to Tajikistan to strengthen its alliance with Russia.
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