A case in point is the Ayni airbase in Tajikistan which India lost to Russia in 2010. In its quest for strategic footing in Central Asia, New Delhi has been developing the Ayni airbase – originally used by the Soviets but abandoned since the 1988-89 following withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan, since 2003. But India never made any effort towards expanding diplomatic ties with the Tajik authority during that time. As a result in December 2010, Tajikistan announced that Moscow would be the only country to use the Ayni airbase.