Uzbekistan and the United States continue negotiations regarding the future of aircraft and helicopters that were transported to the country by Afghan pilots in August 2021 from Afghanistan. This was announced during a press conference on Thursday by the new U.S. Ambassador to Tashkent, Jonathan Henick, Gazeta.uzreports.
The American publication Politico reported in September that U.S. authorities might transfer a portion of their aircraft to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in exchange for an informal agreement to "deepen relations in the field of border security and counterterrorism."
"First of all, let me note that we are already strong partners with Uzbekistan in the field of border security and counterterrorism. We have several ongoing programs working with [border] security services along the border, enhancing their capacity to combat illegal trafficking and other activities. And we hope for further deepening of this cooperation in the future," stated the head of the U.S. mission.
"As for the location of the aircraft, it remains a subject of discussion between our governments. The decision regarding their placement has not been made yet," said Jonathan Henick.
During the 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan, the United States and its allies provided the Afghan government with a significant number of aircraft and helicopters. During the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban in 2021, 22 military aircraft and 24 helicopters (including Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano, UH-60 Black Hawk, MD-530, PC-12, and Mi-17) unlawfully crossed Uzbekistan's airspace, carrying 585 armed Afghan military personnel.
The interim government of Afghanistan repeatedly insisted that the aircraft were the property of Afghanistan. Uzbekistani authorities claimed that the planes and helicopters were the property of the United States and could not be returned.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
August 25, 2023