Turkmenistan and the US are promising to enhance their already noteworthy level of military cooperation.
The head of US Central Command, Gen. James Mattis, made his first trip to Turkmenistan on January 11. According to the State News Agency of Turkmenistan (TDH), Mattis and President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov talked about global security, drugs, organized crime and terrorism.
Mattis reportedly said that the US intends to develop “versatile collaboration” with Turkmenistan which is viewed as a “dependable partner".
What new heights of cooperation might be reached, seeing as Ashgabat lets US military planes use it airports, refuels them tax free and will occasionally facilitate US troops in remote areas of the country?
In addition, by not taxing the Turkmen fuel which is exported to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Ashgabat has declined to collect a significant amount of revenue. Even when the US was paying top dollar for overflight and landing rights -- which it claims it is no longer doing -- the sum was miniscule compared to what Turkmenistan could pocket in fuel taxes.
This level of assistance must come at a price. Turkmenistan may well be a useful partner but it’s probably not a cheap one. “Sacred neutrality” is a high-maintenance concept.
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