Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov (not to be confused with Igor “Angel of Death” Ivanov–seriously, read this, it’s great) is calling for closer ties between Russia and Uzbekistan. The two will carry out joint exercises in 2005, and Uzbekistan noted its sympathy over the bombing in Grozny.
This is probably great news for Russia as Tajikistan has kindly asked Russia to leave.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2973 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan is the Founding Editor and Publisher of Registan.net, which he launched in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with private and government clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural and political factors shape risks and opportunities and how organizations can adjust their strategic and operational plans to account for these variables. Nathan is currently seeking research, analysis, and consulting opportunities. He can be contacted via Twitter or email.
For information on reproducing this article, see our Terms of Use
{ 1 comment }
I hadn’t seen the Tajikistan news ’til now. I have to say though – I’d be shocked if there isn’t a significant Russian presence in Tajikistan after 2005. The concern in Russia about radical Islam means the Tajik-Afghan border is far too important for them to not be guarding it, not to mention Russia’s general desire to keep Tajikistan under their thumb.