About ten years have passed since the start of a military operation in Afghanistan with the participation of NATO countries, but the situation there is far from stable. Despite this, the alliance has scheduled the withdrawal of combat units from the country at the end of 2014. To implement such a decision, it is necessary to carry out a number of organizational measures, including, inter alia, the removal of equipment and military cargo. The matter is complicated by the fact that the issue of the transit movement of NATO goods through neighboring Pakistan has not yet been resolved.
In November 2011, Pakistan closed the transit of NATO cargo through the country. The reason for this was an unsuccessful NATO military operation, during which twenty-four Pakistani military personnel were victims of a mistaken air strike. The Pakistani blockade greatly complicated the position of the NATO group in the region.
All attempts by the NATO leadership to resume the transit movement of their goods through Pakistani territory run into Islamabad's reluctance to make concessions. And although progress in the negotiations was announced at the NATO summit in Chicago, neither side is satisfied with their course. The stumbling block was the amount requested by Pakistan for the transportation of goods across its territory. Each transit container could cost NATO $ 5,000, which the alliance considers an unacceptable price. As one of the conditions for lifting the blockade, the Pakistani side also puts forward a demand to bring an official apology for the death of its military due to the fault of the North Atlantic Alliance forces.
Transit through Pakistan would become more profitable for NATO in comparison with transportation through the territories of other states adjacent to Afghanistan. The path to the port of Karachi is the shortest to the bay, which simplifies and reduces the cost of redeploying forces and equipment. Pakistani truck and gasoline tankers, for whom forced downtime turns into financial difficulties, are also expressing interest in the transportation of army cargo, the BBC Russian Service reported.
Meanwhile, the top leadership of NATO announced that it had reached an agreement in principle with a number of Central Asian countries on the export of alliance equipment through their territory. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have met the proposals of the Western military, RFE / RL reported in early June 2012. The transfer of goods will be carried out according to a special schedule as the military operation in Afghanistan is curtailed.
