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The agreement on the Russian military base in Tajikistan is signed

The document raises the status of the military base, its staff and families of the military
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

DUSHANBE, October 5 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is sure the agreement on the Russian military base in Tajikistan will provide stability in the region.

“The key document is the agreement on the Russian military base in Tajikistan, which is signed for the term of up to 30 years, which is up to 2040,” he said following his negotiations with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rakhmon on Friday.

“The base will protect properly our common strategic interests and will improve security and stability of the entire Central-Asian region,” he added.

Defence ministers of Russia and Tajikistan Anatoly Serdukov and Sherali Khairulloyev in the presence of two presidents Vladimir Putin and Emomaly Rakhmon signed an agreement on the status and conditions of the 201st Russian military base in the territory of that republic. They also inked a Memorandum on cooperation between defence ministries of the two countries.

Russia’s presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the agreement replaced a similar document, which expires in 2014. It extends the term of Russian military’s presence for another 49 years from the signing of the first document /May 25, 1993/, which is up to 2042. After expiration of the term, the countries have an option to extend the agreement.

The document raises the status of the military base, its staff and families of the military. Now, it “will b similar to that of administrative and technical staff of diplomatic representations conforming with the Vienna convention of 1961,” the presidential aide said. The new status would mean personal and property immunity. “This is a very high level, which follows the diplomatic status.”

“Under the new document, a fee is practically not applicable,” Ushakov said. “We did not have disputes during discussions of the document. There were certain requirements from both sides; and we have reached a compromise. Tajikistan needs the base as much as we do for security in the region.”

The Memorandum, signed on Friday, covers “certain joint actions of the defence ministries for near future,” the presidential aide said. It includes more active cooperation in military training and in other questions.