Azerbaijan, Baku, July 11 / Trend E. Kosolapova /
After Uzbekistan leaves the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Russia may think about the establishment of a new military organisation within the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the abolition of the CSTO, Russian expert on Central Asia, Alexander Knyazev said today.
"After Uzbekistan leaves the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, Russia will consider whether to save the CSTO in its current format, or would it be more appropriate to create a military organisation with the participation of the Customs Union member states without taking responsibility for the safety of those in the south and without making any contribution to the CSTO general needs," coordinator of the regional programmes of the Institute of Oriental Studies under the Russian Academy of Sciences Knyazev told Trend today.
Uzbekistan sent a note to the CSTO Secretariat on June 28 to suspend its participation in the organisation's activity.
In this case, it is not ruled out that there could be a transfer of some Russian military facilities from the territory of other CSTO member states to Kazakhstan and Belarus.
Earlier, Kyrgyz Defence Minister, Maj. Gen. Taalaibek Omuraliev announced plans to increase the fee for using the Russian military bases on its territory, RIA-Novosti said.
The Minister explained the increase in the rent was due to rising inflation. The increase will not affect Russia's largest Central Asian military base in Kant. According to the agreements within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, Kyrgyzstan pays for the presence of this base in the country.
"If a mutually acceptable compromise is not found, then these facilities are likely to be postponed," he said. "This can result in unwanted costs, but they are not so large scale. If one spends the amount asked by Kyrgyzstan as a payment to relocate and modernise these facilities on another territory, perhaps it will be economically advisable.
"In particular, there is a space communication point among these facilities which is located almost on the border with Kazakhstan. There are no unique conditions to keep it in this place."
According to the expert, the Kyrgyz leadership's intention to raise the rent on the Russian military bases and the controversy over that country's military base in Tajikistan was caused by the political situation in the region, rather than any objective economic considerations.
"At present, when Americans change the form of their presence in Afghanistan and the region, they offer a lot of preferences to these Central Asian countries," he said. "This concerns such strong countries as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan less. The U.S mainly focuses on Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Military equipment and armaments are offered. It is planned to establish additional military facilities. In these circumstances realising that Russia would not want to cede its positions, lose its influence in the region and that the country needs for these facilities, Kyrgyzstan's political leadership is trading."
The Russian expert said that Kyrgyzstan is not interested in closing the Russian military facilities on its territory. Moreover it needs close military cooperation with Russia.
"The participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, a component of which is the air base in Kant, is the only guarantee for security for Kyrgyzstan. The army and all the country's military forces are the weakest in the Central Asian region and perhaps in the entire post-Soviet area."
The Kyrgyz leadership is also interested to keep the U.S. military base at Manas on its territory, as revenue from its activity is one of the main components of the national budget.
"The statements about closing Manas are purely political declarations and talk," the expert said.
The U.S. air base, renamed the Transit Centre, was established at Manas international airport in Bishkek in December 2001, and today it employs about 1200 soldiers. The base is an important part of the 'Enduring Freedom Operation' in Afghanistan. The agreement on placing the U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan is valid until 2014. The Kyrgyz leadership has repeatedly stated about the plans to remove the base from the territory of the republic after the contract is expired.