Turkmenistan rather lags behind, than begins to lead in arms race on the Caspian Sea: political expert

“I can not directly link the desire to build a naval base with a threat to Baku, though it is clear that there is such a shade on the background of unresolved relations on the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan,” Musaabayov said.

“Azerbaijan has a navy and Turkmenistan has the sovereign right to have not only border patrol boats, but also a certain number of military courts. But I think it is wrong to describe it as a  challenge or threat to Azerbaijan,” the political expert said.

“Moreover, from a military viewpoint, it is not appropriate to focus military capability only on ships. Because today military aviation can completely control and provide military impact on all marine basin. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan do have it.  Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran already  have naval base on the Caspian Sea for a long time. In this sense, Turkmenistan has rather lagged behind other Caspian littoral states than it begins to lead in an arms race in the Caspian region,” he said.
 
/Day.Az/