Thursday, May 23, 2013

Russians Back To The Border?

Heroin seized on the Tajik-Afghan border by Russian border guards in 2004.

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December 09, 2010

Russian border guards are up for returning to the Tajik-Afghan border if Tajikistan were to ask them to come back.

According to Maksim Peshkov, director of the CIS department at the Russian Foreign Ministry and Russia's ex-ambassador to Tajikistan, the return of the Russian Border Guards Service to safeguard Tajikistan's southern borders has been discussed between the two countries' authorities.

Russian border guards were stationed alongside the Tajik border until 2006, when the task of guarding the border was handed over to their Tajik counterparts. A small group of Russian experts still remain there as consultants to the Tajik border services.

Tajikistan shares a 1,200 kilometer border with Afghanistan, which is considered a major transit route for Afghan opium to Central Asia, and on to Russia and Europe.

It's not the first time this year Russian officials mention the idea of bringing Russians back to Tajik borders. Last June, as noted in by Chaikhana, Russia's drug czar Viktor Ivanov said the presence of Russian troops on the Tajik-Afghan border would help stem the flow of narcotics.

Some 1.5 tons of drugs were seized by Tajik border guards along its southern border in the first nine months of 2009. According to Tajikistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs, 174 kilos of narcotics were confiscated from drug traffickers in one operation alone in the southern Shuroobod District this week.

Tajik officials have yet to comment on the possible return of Russians to the country's borders.

-- Farangis Najibullah

Tags: drugs, border dispute

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Comments

by: Sergey from: Chicago

December 12, 2010 17:08

In light of expected US-NATO withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan and the fact that Taliban, Al-Qaeda or Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are very active in the area, it makes a perfect sense from a security standpoint for Russian border guards to guard Tajik-Afghan border again. Ideally, it should be Russia-Central Asia operation with possible presence of US-NATO forces rather than only Russian operation. It is also an opportunity to bring closer Russia, Central Asia, US and Europe in a fight against Islamist revolutionaries-terrorists who are a deadly threat to the very basic liberties of people around the world.

Let wish these brave guys and gals in uniform well so they could keep Islamic thugs out of Tajikistan, the Central Asia and Eurasian continent in general. Islamist victory in Central Asia would be a terrible blow to the security, prosperity and basic liberal-democratic values anywhere in the world.

by: Mansour from: IRAQ

December 14, 2010 11:27

Yes, pls let's bring Russians back to the border to control and manage the heroin business, as it was in the past. Yes, burn 550 kg of rubbish per year and transit 500 ton to Russia with military flights every week from bases, which are not even allowed to check before departure by any security authorities!
Yes, pls let's bring NATO and US forces to Central Asia, to create a democracy and liberty as it is done in Iraq.

Good luck to fuel the war in Central Asia against Islamist, instead of supporting the corrupted Local Governments!
Uraaa! Davai Russia, davai vpered!

by: Rustam from: Dushanbe

December 14, 2010 12:08

Perhaps it may work if the Russia, Nato and US have the same agenda in CA, but what if it is not the case?
Why did the Russians left the Tajik border in 2006, wasn't it the good will of US, if so, what has changed now?

by: Sergey from: Suburban Chicago, USA

December 15, 2010 09:29

Mansour.

I guess you wouldn't be thrilled to have Taleban or its clone Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in control of Central Asia. Who knows where these monsters may end up--Iraq is not that far from the area just separated by Islamic Republic of Iran and its psychotic Islamist leader Ahmadinejad who might want to make alliance with Islamist Central Asia and bring neighboring Iraq with it.