MILITARY CONFLICTS IN AFGHANISTAN AND ONGOING IMPORTANCE OF TERMEZ AS A SPRINGBOARD

MILITARY CONFLICTS IN AFGHANISTAN AND ONGOING IMPORTANCE OF TERMEZ AS A SPRINGBOARD The necessity for a comprehensive review of armed conflicts that lasted in Afghanistan for centuries is caused by the need to identify both the current situation and the possible prospects of development in the region. Being a strategic springboard on the Amu Darya’s shore the Termez city, located on the most southern border of Uzbekistan, has always played an important role in shaping Afghanistan’s geopolitical agenda both in the ancient and in the modern history.

Established 2500 years ago, Termez is the administrative center of the Surkhandarya region of the modern Uzbekistan. It was originally founded as a strategic crossing point over the Amu Darya River. Located on the most convenient transportation route between India and Central Asia, Termez became an important part of the Great Silk Road. Thus, since the 2nd century B.C. the city has provided caravan trade on the largest transcontinental route protecting crossing point over the Amu Darya.

Throughout its long history, Termez suffered from a long list of conquerors who came to the region from the West, the East, the North and the South, namely, the Achaemenid Persians, the Greeks of Alexander the Great, the Tochars and other tribes. Since the Muslims occupied the region in the 7th century A.D. Termez has become an essential part of the Islamic culture. Since the Russian conquest of the Central Asia in the second half of the 19th century A.D. the tsarist policy has promoted a largescale colonization of the region. Therefore, in 1884 the Russian Empire established the Turkestan Military District, which included Termez as a strategic outpost. Its construction started in 1894 and over the next few years the Russian authorities created a new settlement in the city. Moreover, construction of the port, which had both commercial and military importance, launched the regular navigation on the Amu Darya River. It was decided to implement a largescale railway project running through Termez due to its strategic importance. So, initial-ly the Petersburg - Tashkent - Termez Kabul - Delhi railway project was developed by Ferdinand Marie Vicomte de Lesseps, widely known as the designer of the Suez, Corinth and Panama canals projects, in the early 1870s. Despite the fact that during the mentioned historical period the construction of such a railway was not economically feasible, the military-political significance of this project outweighed the possible economic costs. However, the Russian authorities failed to complete the project in accordance with the initial plan. Therefore, construction of the railway was finished only in 1916 and its final destination was Termez.

As the Russian outpost, Termez served as an essential part of the Great Game between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for the supremacy in Central Asia. According to 1898 Plan, which was designed to put forward the details of the invasion of Afghanistan, Termez was elected as the main operating base of the forces of the Turkestan Military District that aided in providing military operations against the Anglo-Afghans and in crossing over the Amu Darya. However, despite the fact that the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, encouraged the strengthening of the Russian influence in the East, it was decided not to implement the aforementioned plan because of its high economic costs. Moreover, the Russian authorities had to postpone any plans of the invasion of Afghanistan after Russia recognized the protectorate of the Great Britain over Afghanistan and agreed not to enter into direct relations with the Afghan Emir in 1907. Significantly, weakened Russia made such a decision after the defeat in the war with Japan in 1904-1905.

However, after the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, Afghanistan joined the socalled Eastern Front of the world communist revolution. The agents of the Communist International from Termez founded the Central Committee of Revolutionary Council in Afghanistan in 1920. During the Soviet period the city became the stronghold of the invasion to Afghani-stan several times. During the first SovietAfghan campaign of 1929 the northern Afghanistan has been occupied for a short period of time. However, the second Soviet-Afghan campaign of 1979-1989 transformed into a largescale war which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Thus, plan of the invasion of Afghanistan via Termez developed in the late 19th century A.D. was implemented only during the Soviet period.

Since the beginning of the war with international terrorism declared by the U.S. and the beginning of the NATO operation in Afghanistan operated by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) the world community, once again, has focused its attention on Termez. At the beginning of the 21st century A.D. the main outpost of the Republic of Uzbekistan on its southern borders became a stronghold of the ISAF. During the period of 2002-2015 the NATO used the facilities of the airport located near Termez for providing technical and logistical support for its military divisions in Afghanistan. The decision to close the landmark corresponded with the provisions of the Foreign Policy Doctrine of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted in 2012, according to which, the country prohibits dislocation of any foreign military bases and armed forces on its territory.

Since Uzbekistan got its independence, Termez has retained its traditional importance and inherent functions, as well as acquired new ones, successfully moving on to the next stage of development. Termez became the industrial, agricultural, educational and cultural center of the Sukhandarya region. In addition, after launching the 75 km long Hairaton Mazar-i-Sharif railway constructed in Afghanistan by Uzbekistan in 2010-2011, Termez has significantly increased its role in the transformation of Afghanistan into a docking port of the European-Middle Eastern, former Soviet and Indo-Pakistani rail systems.

Written by Jaloliddin Mirzayev, Termez Archaeological Museum, Uzbekistan signed. In particular, the parties reached an agreement on purchasing Kazakhstani Alan armored vehicles.

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During his working visit to China, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi. The parties discussed bilateral co-operation, issues of international and regional policy, paying special attention to the cooperation in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. During the working visit to Ashgabat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, met with the President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and his Turkmen counterpart, Rasit Meredow. The sides exchanged views on the key issues of the international agenda, the cooperation of the two countries in the framework of the United Nations, the Caspian Five and the Commonwealth of Independent States. During the 43rd meeting of the Special Working Group on the development of the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea held in Ashgabat, the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caspian littoral states, namely, Turkmenistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran, discussed positions of the coastal states regarding the protection of marine biological resources of the Caspian Sea.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic submitted draft amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution to the Contact Group for consideration. The draft provides real guarantees for special status of Donbas, and political rights of the people. According to the Speaker of the Parliament of Russia, Sergey Naryshkin, the country is planning to hand over the unused military training grounds leased from Kazakhstan in order to save approximately $4 million annually.

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Prepared by Lidiya Parkhomchik, Hayal Ayca Simsek, Saule Akhmetkaliyeva, Dinara Taldybayeva.