Uzbekistan: Cooperation May Increase Stability, Security
Published:
4 October 2001 y., Thursday
Uzbekistan has cleared the way for U.S. planes to use its airspace and several of its strategically located airfields in the expected U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is headed to Uzbekistan to discuss the arrangements.
This week, Uzbekistan's president officially offered his country's airspace and three air bases to the United States for use in any attacks on suspected terrorist bases inside neighboring Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan shares a 137-kilometer-long border with Afghanistan, making the former Soviet republic's support a strategic asset to U.S. warplanes in planning an attack.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is headed to Uzbekistan to discuss this possibility. The international media are just discovering this heretofore little-known Central Asian nation, but U.S. defense officials are already well-acquainted with Uzbekistan, with which it has had cooperative military exercises in the past.
For the U.S., the benefit of the new partnership is clear: The U.S. would value a clear corridor through Uzbekistan's airspace and access to its bases. For Uzbekistan, the rewards of cooperation are less clear.
Šaltinis:
RFE/RL
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
October 14, Vice Minister of National Defence Vytautas Umbrasas and Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius left for a two-day visit in Afghanistan.
more »
On 13 October in Paris during the 35th session of the General Conference of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the list of anniversary celebrations with which UNESCO will be associated in 2010-2011 was approved.
more »
On 14 October, the European Commission presented its annual package of documents on the European Union enlargement.
more »
On 15-17 October, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas is paying a working visit to Afghanistan.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended on behalf of herself and the people of Lithuania congratulations to King Juan Carlos I of Spain on National Day.
more »
We have been assured that NATO is still interested in investing in defence of the Baltic region, says President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė having met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
more »
October 8, Minister of National Defence Rasa Juknevičienė and Transport Minister of the Russian Federation Igor Levitin will sign an agreement between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Lithuania on joint actions of preventing pollution of the Baltic Sea with oil and other hazardous materials.
more »
On October 9 President of the Republic of Lithuania H.E. Dalia Grybauskaitė and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will visit Aviation Base of the Lithuanian Air Force in Šiauliai.
more »
On 8 October, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas Ušackas received International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister of the Republic of South Africa Susan van der Merwe, who came to Lithuania for political consultations.
more »
Lithuania and Denmark concluded an agreement, under which Lithuania would represent Denmark in Kaliningrad when issuing Schengen visas.
more »