DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 20, 2004, Friday
US MILITARY BASES WILL APPEAR IN AZERBAIJAN
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 18, 2004, p. 4
by Rauf Mirkadyrov, Igor Plugatarev
Baku is making preparations for the US troops that will turn up in
Azerbaijan this autumn within the framework of re-deployment of
American troops abroad currently under way.
According to what information this newspaper has compiled, Azerbaijan
and the United States came to an agreement on deployment of an
American mobile contingent in this country during the recent visit of
US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Before that, US AF General
Charles Ward, US Second-in-Command in Europe, spared neither time nor
effort to condition official Baku into acceptance of American
military presence. Ward made two visits to Azerbaijan in 2004. He
made another statement on American military presence in countries of
the southern part of the Caucasus the other day. Addressing a special
meeting at the US Senate in Washington, Ward said, “Georgia,
Azerbaijan, and Armenia are recognized now as the new geopolitical
edge due to the Caspian oil, threats of terrorism, illegal arms
deals, and traffic.” The matter concerns “strategic military
partnership” with countries of the region even though “the United
States does not intend to establish a permanent base there.” Ward
said that American servicemen in Azerbaijan will patrol the Baku –
Tbilisi – Dzheikhan pipeline and ensure its security. Proving himself
a smooth talker, Ward promptly avoided a collision with the law on
national security recently adopted in Azerbaijan which bans
establishment of foreign military bases on the territory of the
country. State officials and the military in Baku and Washington take
care not to call the US troops about to appear in Azerbaijan a
military base. The latter are called “provisionally deployed mobile
forces”. In the meantime, some Azerbaijani officials and politicians
do on denying the fact that some US troops are getting ready to move
into Azerbaijan. Deputy Chairman of the Parliament Ziyafet Askerov
told INTERFAX – Azerbaijan yesterday that his country does not plan
to have any foreign troops on its territory. Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedjarov categorically denounced the very idea of establishment of
US military bases in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani military expert Dzhasur Mamedov says that American
specialists have already examined airfields located in Kyurdamir and
in the settlements of Nasosny and Gala. “More than that, the military
base in Kyurdamir is fully ready for the Americans now. The runways
there were repaired recently. The cantonment was modernized and
upgraded to meet NATO standards,” said Mamedov. “The Kyurdamir base
is conveniently situated. It is right in the center of the country.
>From there, it is possible to instantly respond to what happens along
the Baku – Dzheikhan pipeline and even control the territory of
Iran.”
Mamedov says that some of these airfields (Kyurdamir and Nasosny) can
even receive heavy transports of Ruslan type. TRML-3D mobile radars
with the range of 200 km are to be installed in Sanchagal near Baku
where the Baku – Dzheikhan pipeline terminal is located.
Last week, Rumsfeld visited Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Russian military
experts await the reports on deployment of a mobile American
contingent in Ukraine as well. General Vladimir Dvorkin of the
Institute of Global Economics and International Relations is
convinced that “it is to early yet to draw conclusions because there
is no saying at this point what troops of what strength and arms will
be deployed in Azerbaijan and Ukraine.” “In any case, I do not think
that the matter concerns any major American plans with regard to
these countries,” said Dvorkin. “First, deployment of large garrisons
there is not expedient from the military point of view. Second, there
is the European Arms Limitation Treaty. On the other hand, it goes
without saying that Baku and Kiev would not mind appearance of US
troops on the territories from the political point of view. Foreign
military bases mean additional jobs for the locals and a steady
income.”