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Yuri Krupnov, the chairman of the international social Movement of Development
An absolutely new situation appears between our states where the visit by Vladimir Putin to Tajikistan
has great importance.
At the same time, we are at a new stage of cooperation in general.
A year ago the article by Putin was published in Izvestia on the direction to the Eurasian Union.
We are in the situation when somebody bold (we, for example)
states that it is time for reconstruction and building a new big country.
The Eurasian Union is a minimal variant of this new Soviet country in the post-Soviet space.
However, even the most careful politicians consider the situation differently from their views 2-3 years ago,
not mentioning decades.
I think it concerns Tajikistan directly.
We have an opportunity to promote the Eurasian integration through cooperation with Tajikistan,
an opportunity to “heal” our space,
our people of what Putin has called the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century
– the dissolution of the USSR.
As for Tajikistan, even though the visit by Putin was planned long ago,
there is no sense in stating that any friendly steps toward Tajikistan
are connected with the situation in Uzbekistan that Uzbekistan
decided to withdraw the CSTO and improve its ties with NATO and the US.
This geopolitics of comparing and contradicting Russian activities,
including statements by some Russian politicians
(we are friends with this country and enemies with that country)
has nothing in common with reality.
Intensification of cooperation with Tajikistan doesn’t mean intensification of hostility to anybody
or steps against anybody.
Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan
where Vladimir Putin was two weeks ago are our equal partners.
There is no friendship against anybody,
i.e. “local” geopolitics.
Solving our Russian problems, we have to loot at Central Asia not from the point of view of help to anybody,
but from the point of view of solving our internal problems.
Here’s a simple example, I think it’s a key moment:
for 18 months we have been hearing statements on the so-called “new industrialization.”
I support this idea absolutely and always write about it.
However, a bit was done in this direction.
In this sense, looking at the Central Asian vector,
we haven’t invested into Tajikistan’s economy yet,
haven’t helped it in new industrialization, but we haven’t started industrialization at home too.
The Eurasian Union should be build through projects of mutual development.
And the industrialization issue is very important for boosting our economies
in the context of the global-financial crisis.
Those who want to solve the problem of Russia’s geopolitical powerfulness
have to count on forcing advance development of Tajikistan and Russia.
We have no other way.
We suggest investment of $12 billion into development along with trade turnover and other economic indexes.
We have no choice.
Dmitry Alexandrov, head of the Central Asia sector in the Center of Studying Problems of post-Soviet Countries of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies
Regarding uncontrolled migration, only if in Tajikistan new production lines,
new working places appear, the problem of migration flows from Tajikistan to Russia can be solved.
But I would like to pay your attention to another aspect.
There used to be a common view in Russia that the post-Soviet space,
including Central Asia and Tajikistan, will stay in the Russian orbit, and we will be allies forever.
But time is changing, and now we are at a cross-road:
whether integration projects with Russian participation will be launched
(only Russia is able to give an impulse to the growth and development of Central Asian communities)
or the region of Central Asia will be torn by other geopolitical players, for example, the US and China.
We often forget about China which played the more important role
in the economic and political life of Tajikistan than the US which we never forget.
The American and Chinese projects are not directed at development of Central Asia in general and Tajikistan.
Russian integration projects have no alternatives for Tajikistan in the sense of development.
At the same time, if Russia misses time and doesn’t develop these projects,
it will lose the strategic region, which will influence the situation within Russia too.
Denis Purzhinsky, senior scientist of the Department of projects in the sphere of state anti-drug policy of the Scientific Research Center of the Federal Service of Russia on Control over Illegal Traffic of Drugs
Speaking about the problem of illegal drug traffic,
it is obvious that this problem cannot be solved by the police measures only.
We should consider the problem as a complex,
and as the UN calls it “the complex and balanced approach to realization of counter-drugs policy,”
this approach should be an instrument of national and regional development not only of Tajikistan,
but also Russia.
Moreover, I believe we should analyze the problem of illegal drug traffic not only in Russia and Tajikistan,
but in the Central Asian region in general.
According to UNESCO, it includes the states of Central Asia, a part of Russia,
first of all Western Siberia, the Altai Territory,
also Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The crucial moment is liquidation of the Afghan drug production.
About 94% of the world production of opiates is focused in Afghanistan,
and Tajikistan is one of the transit-countries.
As for settlement of the problem,
I support Yuri Vasilyevich that electrification and industrialization of Afghanistan are necessary,
i.e. organization of working places as a method of struggle against the drug production.
The same concerns Tajikistan, first of all the border regions:
the Khatlon region, the Mountain-Badakhshan Autonomy
where salaries are half as much as in the rest of Tajikistan – about $50 per month.
People have to be involved into drug production because of poverty.
The police measures should be improved.
Joint operations with the Agency on Drugs Control under President of Tajikistan should be planned.
The administration of the agency supports it.
On September 28th the session of the Central Asian Counter-Drug Quartet
– Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan – was held.
The negotiations between our heads were conducted on joint projects and programs.
A certain Russian-Tajik counter-drug plan was discussed
which includes the police measures of struggles against drugs and the measures of economy organization,
establishing of new industries, infrastructures,
as well as social rehabilitation of addicts, and other humanitarian projects.