Dushanbe, Nov 14: Tajikistan today brushed aside reports that India was setting up a military base in the Central Asian country, saying that Indian were only assisting in the renovation of a military air field, near here. The clarification came during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's 22-hour visit that took place amidst reports that India had set up a military base at Ayny in northern Tajikistan.
Responding to a Russian reporter's question on Ayny, Tajik President E S Rakhmanov said he knew "where the question had come from" and he went on to explain that his country had looked around for help in rebuilding the airstrip at Ayny before a friendly India had offered to reconstruct it. There was no secret about it.
Rakhmanov pointed out that military personnel of Tajikistan were being trained in India and that para-troopers had participated in military exercises in this country. Tajikistan wanted to expand such cooperation, he said.
Vajpayee expressed satisfaction over the cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries.
Bureau Report