As they met in Sochi, Russian Black Sea coastal spa, the summiteers agreed on Russian border guards to set up an operation group. In team with Tajik soldiers, it will detect and prevent drug trafficking, paramilitary penetration, and other dangers.
The change will certainly not undermine security nor harass drug efforts, stressed President Rakhmonov.
The operation force will not patrol or monitor particular frontier stretches, but will possibly undertake crime detection together with Tajik colleagues, expects our informant.
Russia will go on training Tajik border guards, and carry on material and technical assistance to Tajikistan.
"We shall ponder the matter," said the interviewee when asked how Russia is likely to respond to President Rakhmonov's request. He asked his Russian partner to put off by twelve months, into 2006, a deadline, earlier agreed upon, for passing particular stretches of the Tajik frontier under Tajikistan's control.
An agreement of May 25, 1993, envisages the frontier gradually passing under Tajik own guard. A stretch of the Tajik-Chinese frontier passed last year, and work started to pass a part of the Tajik-Afghan stretch.
As President Rakhmonov sees it, the prolongation demands a new agreement on the frontier alliance. Its signing will be the biggest task for President Putin, who is preparing an official visit to Tajikistan. Our informant could not specify its date, saying only that Tajikistan hopes to receive Russia's President within the year. As to Russia, it is willing to appoint the visit as soon as debt, frontier and other essential agreements are ready for signing.
The national flag will be hoisted at a new Russian military base in Tajikistan during the visit, added the interviewee.
Russia has an opportunity to receive, free and on an indefinite term, a site for a military base in Tajikistan. Today's summit agenda included prospects to draft a respective agreement, he said.
