Ben noticed it first, and now other news agencies are also reporting that Germany is not included in the expulsion of NATO troops from Uzbekistan.
However, “no notification has been sent to Germany. Its base in the south will no doubt remain,” the [Uzbek] official said, referring to the Termez facility in the south of the country where some 300 German personnel are stationed.
The story sheds no light on why Germany is doing this, but the Germans have confirmed that they are looking for options to replace Termez. Perhaps it is because after giving a visa to Zakirjon Almatov despite the EU visa ban, taking advantage of their exclusion from Uzbekistan’s retaliation for the sanctions and visa ban would make them appear entirely off the same page as the rest of Europe.
AFP’s report also clarifies that the United States will still have overflight rights for operations in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, MosNews reports the possibility of a Russian air force unit being deployed at K2 now that the US is gone.
“Experts are studying the technical conditions for the setting up of a Russian air force unit in Uzbekistan, bearing in mind a treaty on allied relations recently signed between the two countries and Uzbekistan’s expected accession to the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” the source said.
The final decision on the deployment of a Russian air force unit to Khanabad has not yet been made, he said.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov denies that there are plans to deploy at K2, calling the reports of a plan a “hoax.”
Update: More at neweurasia.
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2974 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.
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{ 6 comments }
Well, if the Germans are booted out then that is going to be a boon for those of us looking for rooms in Termez late in the evening. I don’t remember the name of the hotel, but I do know that it refuses to admit anyone but soldiers of the Teutonic variety. Once my friend and I had been turned away from said hotel, we ended up in the most godforsaken Addams-family style hell-hole I have ever been to (If I remember correctly, Hotel Orzu). The hotel restaurant had its windows broken in, which meant some local tramp could sleep in there on a rickety camp-bed. They promised us that our unsecured room would be lit by 9 p.m., and that they would clean up the toilet. Needless to say, the CIS misery-guts champions failed to do so. Actually, one of the great regrets of my life is having failed to take a photo of the single most sullen, if hauntingly beautiful in her stroppily sexy pop-socks, woman on the face of the planet. We left by ten o’clock, in utter terror I might add. Unable to gain ingress at the German version of Heartbreak Hotel California, we made do with a hotel that you can see at the following link in all its glory:
http://www.orexca.com/img/hotels/termez/akmal4-4.jpg
Frankly, I don’t give a damn if and when those soldiers leave. The only important thing is that I stand a good chance of getting a room with a working flush next time I’m in Termez.
On a more serious note, I don’t believe they have a base in Uzbekistan per se. The troops merely live there, supplementing the livelihood of countless (about three or four, actually) restaurants selling beer and shashlyk. Joking apart, the departure of scores of bored Germans is going to result in a catastrophic collapse in the local economy. A sure enough sign that the pocket is the best place where to hit the Uzbeks.
Bathroom looks pretty clean.
Maybe so, but the flush didn’t work and it stinks. All $25 a night.
I love this quote:
“Experts are studying the technical conditions for the setting up of a Russian air force unit in Uzbekistan … ”
Imagine the discussions:
Uzbek: “What makes you think you can use an airbase in Uzbekistan?”
Russian: “Because we built it.”
Here’s a commentary about the visa ban and letting Almatov get medical care in Deutschland by an ICG director:
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3807
You know you can get a toilet like those to work if you pour water directly into it. When the water gets high enough it will cause it to start moving down the drain, suction will pull the contents of the bowl down the drain. Now if the drain doesn’t work you’re screwed.