MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS-DEFENSE/. The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should pool their efforts in order to prevent the use of Afghanistan as a tool for aggravating the situation in Central Asia, Sergei Istrakov, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, said at an international conference on Afghanistan on Thursday.
"The emerging military-political situation in Central Asia and its estimated future indicate that the SCO member states’ joint efforts to negate the regional security threats emanating from Afghanistan are badly needed. Therefore, the capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are utterly timely and relevant," Istrakov said.
He added the SCO countries were trying to neutralize the security threats independently "by taking unilateral economic, political and humanitarian measures". "The attempts no not enable them to stand up to new challenges and threats effectively," the General Staff deputy chief stressed.
Istrakov cited as an example the settlement of the Syrian crisis that proved that the efforts taken by the western counterterrorist coalition to fight the Islamic State have been in vain, "because the coalition members have different objectives and take uncoordinated efforts, and their activities boil down to simulating a proactive fight.".