Tajikistan demands from Russia to withdraw its troops

4 March 2011

Tajikistan has demanded from Russia to withdraw all Russian border guards from the Tajik-Afghan border. Earlier reports suggested on the contrary an intensification of operations by the Russian FSB border guards whose numbers had been consistently declining since 2006.

The unexpected declaration was issued during the present round of negotiations between Russian and Tajik border guards in the capital of Tajikistan, where the countries were to determine the format of a further Russian presence on the Tajik-Afghan border.

The 2004 Russian-Tajik agreement "about cooperation on border issues" expires this April.

The sides refused to give an official reason for a change in the course of the negotiations - no statements were issued neither by the main directorate of border forces of the state committee for national security of Tajikistan, nor by the Russian FSB terrorists in the context of the border services.
The main flow of Afghan-produced narcotics to Russia and then further to Europe goes through this border, claims the Russian press.

The Tajik border guards say that they are not worse than the Russians at dealing against narco-traffickers.

"President Emomali Rahmon would like to sit at the negotiation table with Russia with the biggest number of trump cards," believes Andrei Grozin, an expert at the Moscow Institute of CIS Countries.

The Russian military presence in Tajikistan is ensured by the Russian military base # 201, positioned directly in five villages. The number of Russian troops from the 693rd motor-rifle division from the North Caucasus military district is 3.800 soldiers.

Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center

Source: Kavkaz Center.
Link: http://kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/03/04/13729.shtml.