NEW DELHI : Defence and security cooperation would be high on the agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to five Central Asian nations in the first week of July which is taking place in the backdrop of US drawdown from Afghanisatn and increased threat of Islamic State group in the region.
There could be some movement on the use of Ayni airbase which India has developed near Tajik capital Dushanbe, sources told.
As experts see it, India had to tone down its presence at the base following Russian pressure on Tajikistan as latter became vary of India’s growing proximity to the US.
It was during the Atal Behari Vajpayee government that India had entered into a tripartite informal arrangement with Tajikistan and Russians for India’s presence on the base in the wake of 1999 IC-814 hijack.
In view of China’s increasing foothold in the region, which in turn gives an increased leverage to Pakistan, strengthened Indian security presence in the region was need of the hour. Tajikistan had to develop cold feet over greater Indian presence on the base because of reservations from Russia as it was highly dependent on the latter’s economic aid.
India is understood to have taken up the issue of Ayni air base with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during his last visit to New Delhi for India-Russia annual summit, though the issue was never mentioned in the official account of the talks.
Ayni base apart, India has already close security and counter-terror cooperation with Tajikistan and Mr Modi’s visit to the country and other nations of the region was going to give further boost to it.
India has one more air base at Farkhor, 130 km southeast of Dushanbe and it is fully operated by the Indian Air force and is its only military base in a foreign territory. Besides, energy cooperation, connectivity, investment and medical tourism were also set to get a big boost with the visit. In fact, Mr Modi during his visit would launch an ambitious programme of e-medicine for the whole region from Kyrgyztan. (AGENCIES)
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel