DUSHANBE, November 25, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe has denied report released by some Russian media outlets that the U.S. Central Command is allegedly conducting active negotiations with the Tajik authorities on deployment of the NATO military base in Tajikistan as unfounded.

“Indeed, the Third Army/ ARCENT Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, paid a familiarization visit to Tajikistan at the beginning of this week.  It was the first visit of General Brooks to Tajikistan and no negotiations on deployment of the military base in Tajikistan were conducted,” the source in the U.S. Embassy said.

Moreover, the United States has never considered the issue of creation of NATO military base in Tajikistan, the source stressed.

Meanwhile, some Russian media outlets cited military and diplomatic sources as saying that representatives of the U.S. Central Command have been conducting active consultations in Dushanbe on deployment of the NATO military base in Tajikistan.  According to Argumenty i Fakty (Arguments and Facts), the negotiations have allegedly been conducted under conditions of strict confidentiality.

Lt. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks assumed command of the Third Army in June 2011.

United States Army Central is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) of the United States Army and is also dual-hatted as the “United States Third Army.”  It is the Army Component of U.S. Central Command (ARCENT) and the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC) for the Central Command Area of Responsibility (AOR), operating primarily in Northern Africa and Central and Southwest Asia, and is the primary logistics element for all land forces in the CENTCOM AOR.