KALININGRAD, June 7. /TASS/. While dealing with problems at its borders, Russia is ready to take into account the interests of other states, but only if those interests are legitimate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told students at a university in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kalinigrad.
"We respect the fact that many states may have interests in various regions of the world, including on the border with Russia, as long as they are transparent, legitimate, in line with the international law and pose no threat to the legitimate interests of Russia," he said.
In that regard, Lavrov mentioned the deployment of US troops in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attack, explained by the alleged need to counter terrorism in the country.
"They (the US forces) were supposed to fight the drug production there, but this did not happen," he said. "According to the UN estimates, drug production increased ten times during the period of the NATO deployment there, and a vast portion of this filth goes to Russia."
"The terrorist threat did not diminish as well," Russia’s top diplomat continued. "Moreover, along with the Taliban movement, who are nevertheless a part of the Afghan society and must play their role in the national reconciliation, the Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) also gained ground there.".