Turkmenistan's first military maneuver, arms race in

Caspian Basin
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the world

Turkmenistan held military maneuvers in the Caspian Sea for the first time. So far, the
water borders of this country with Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the southern
part of the Caspian Sea have not been determined. Turkmenistan has increased its
.military capabilities

Turkmenistan held its first naval exercise on the western shores of the Caspian Sea on
Wednesday (September 5th). According to state television, the exercise, called "Caspian
2012", included military equipment such as "tanks, next-generation Katyushas, artillery,
missile launchers, missile systems, radar, military aircraft, modern fighters and
.helicopters." , Were employed

The exercise took place 60 km from the city of Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk), the
country's largest coastal city. The play was attended by Turkmen President Gurbanguly
Berdymukhamedov and ambassadors from various countries, including Iran. "The joint
maneuver of the Turkmen Air, Land and Naval Forces was of a good level, given that this
was the first naval exercise in Turkmenistan," said Colonel Farshid Delfani, a military
.attaché at the Iranian embassy, in an interview with Fars News Agency

Official sources stated that the objectives of the exercise were "countering the hypothetical
enemy encroaching on the maritime borders, countering the enemy's attack on the
".country's refineries, and thwarting terrorist attacks

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 Turkmenistan boosts military power in Caspian Sea

Amanurad Bugayev A warm analysis of the city of Ashgabat tells Deutsche Welle that after
the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia delivered worn-out weapons to Turkmenistan and
was forced to modernize its military. Following the discovery of huge oil and gas resources
in the Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan is determined to establish the most equipped naval
.base in the Caspian Sea by 2015

Turkmenistan has been able to strengthen its military presence in the Caspian Sea over"
the past two years," the Ashgabat-based expert said. The country needed military
reinforcements to defend its oil resources and wells in the Caspian Sea. "It took a year to
".practice for the recent exercise

Bogayev believes that the continuation of the current situation and the uncertainty of
ownership of oil and gas wells in the Caspian Sea will further militarize the sea, and that
an arms race between neighboring countries will continue until a comprehensive legal
regime at sea and water borders are established. He also told Deutsche Welle that the
Republic of Azerbaijan claims ownership of Turkmenistan's oil resources and wells, which
.has led Turkmenistan to become more militarized

About two months ago, warships of the border forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan forced
a Turkmen research vessel engaged in seismic operations at the Sardar gas field (called
Kepez in the Republic of Azerbaijan) to leave the region. Turkmenistan's current exercise
.coincides with escalating tensions

Arms race to defend oil and gas wells

Turkmen Defense Minister Begang Gudoghev has announced that his country has begun
.training serious naval personnel with the establishment of a naval academy

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 A scene from a Turkmen army exercise on the shores of the Caspian Sea

The country intends to establish radar monitoring and control over the Caspian Sea basin
by establishing a defense system. Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov also
recently announced that his country intends to purchase the most advanced ships and
weapons for its navy. Some experts believe that with the development of the country's
military infrastructure, its military capability in the Caspian Sea has increased
.significantly

Russia is the most powerful country in the Caspian Sea

Joshua Kutcher, an American analyst who studies the Caspian Sea, writes in an article
"entitled "Increasing the arms race in the Caspian Sea
Five littoral states have expanded their military capabilities. Russia is the strongest" :
".coastal country with a capable navy. "It took over the former Soviet navy

Russia has a naval development plan until 2020. But three other countries -
Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan - have also strengthened their naval forces
.since independence

The American expert acknowledges that Iran has also modernized its military capability
.in the Caspian Sea, because it had a weak military capability during the Cold War

Purchasing warships from Israel

Mr Kutcher says the militarization of the Caspian Sea is different from the militarization
process and the arms race in other parts of the world. Citing Russian media, he claims
that after Russia, Iran or Turkmenistan have the most military power in the Caspian Sea,
and that the Republic of Azerbaijan, despite spending more budget, has not been able to
.strengthen its military power at sea

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 :In this regard

Possibility of Turkmenistan suing Azerbaijan in international court

Following the escalation of tensions between the Republic of Azerbaijan and
Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea, Iran announced that it would send three submarines to
.the Caspian Sea

Central Asia worried about war against Iran

Rising border dispute between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan in the

Caspian Sea

Most of the money spent by the Republic of Azerbaijan due to the conflict with Armenia"
has been spent on its land and air forces," he said. "But part of the $ 1.5 billion contract to
buy Azerbaijani military equipment from Israel is modern warships, and Baku now has no
".intention of falling behind

?Why did the countries of the Caspian Basin increase their military power

The Caspian Sea oil and gas resources and wells are located mainly in Turkmenistan,"
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and all three countries have a strong desire to strengthen
their military strength to defend their interests and energy reserves." Kutcher concludes
that an important issue here is the lack of delineation of the water borders in the south of
the sea between Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. The three countries have been at
.loggerheads over ownership of wells and oil and gas resources for years

The biggest obstacle, according to this expert, is the lack of an agreement between these
countries on the ownership of oil and gas wells, and this issue has paved the way for
.escalating disputes and militarization in the Caspian Sea

Despite a fierce arms race in the Caspian Sea and disputes over ownership of oil and gas
wells between Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran, Joshua Kutcher predicts that these
tensions could not turn into a military conflict between the countries, and that the
.Caspian littoral states are currently navigable. They do not have the ability to start a war

On the other hand, the world's major oil companies also operate in the Caspian Sea and
the emergence of tensions is not in the interest of these companies. According to this
expert, the current maneuver of Turkmenistan has nothing to do with the dispute between
.this country and Azerbaijan

Naval maneuver message to Azerbaijan and Iran

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 Rejecting the comments of Joshua Kocher, Russian military expert Flegenhaver
emphasizes that Iran is second only to Russia in terms of military power. But he also
believes that Turkmenistan's naval maneuver in the Caspian Sea is a message to the
Republic of Azerbaijan and Iran that the country intends to defend its interests even with
weapons. Flegenhauer emphasizes that Turkmenistan held the maneuver due to border
.disputes with Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan

In an interview with Deutsche Welle, the Russian military expert also noted that Iran and
the Republic of Azerbaijan also have submarines in the Caspian Sea, and that Iran is
capable of deploying more troops in the Caspian Sea. "Currently, about 200 warships are
stationed in the Caspian Sea," he added. "Although these ships are not large, their
".presence indicates more militarization of the Caspian Sea

Experts who spoke to Deutsche Welle agree that the lack of clarity on the legal regime of
the Caspian Sea has led to an intensification of the arms race in the region. According to
them, the arms race will continue until an agreement is reached between Iran,
Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan on the water borders in the southern part of the Caspian
.Sea

Date 06.09.2012
Author Taher Shirmohammadi
Keywords : Naval maneuver of the Turkmen army in the Caspian Sea
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