Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov signed a protocol Saturday on the commencement of a Russian military base in the Central Asian country

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmonov signed a protocol Saturday on the commencement of a Russian military base in the Central Asian country. According to reports from Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, Putin said Russian military presence in Tajikistan will guarantee stability not only of this particular country but also entire Central Asia. "Russia is determined to increase its military presence in Tajikistan," said Putin after talks with Rakhmonov. Russia's 5,000-strong 201st Motorized Rifle Division, now deployed near Dushanbe after retreating from Afghanistan in 1989, will station in the new military base. As part of the deal, Russia will write off 330 million US dollars of Tajik debts and pledge investments totaling 2 billion dollars over the next years. The two presidents also signed an agreement on the handover of responsibility for Tajik-Afghan border control from Russian to Tajik forces. The 1,344-km long Tajik-Afghan border, where drug trafficking, arms smuggling and illegal immigration are rampant due to complicated geographic environment and atrocious weather conditions, has been guarded by Russia after the former Soviet Union collapsed.