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CSTO set to cooperate with Afghanistan, not to participate in operations

CSTO provided support in training Afghanistan’s personnel; Russia also developed military-technical cooperation with Afghanistan

© ITAR-TASS/Yuri Mashkov

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MOSCOW, January 21. /ITAR-TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organisation is set to cooperate with the Afghan government, CSTO Secretary-General Nikolai Bordyuzha told a news conference at Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“We are set to cooperate with Afghanistan, we are set to provide assistance in strengthening that country’s law enforcement structures, but Russia is not ready to deploy its troops to Afghanistan or to participate in any operations on its territory,” said Bordyuzha representing CSTO member-states Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan alongside observer countries Afghanistan and Serbia.

The CSTO provided support in training Afghanistan’s personnel, he said, adding that Russia also developed military-technical cooperation with Afghanistan.

“We can cooperate in many directions, but in no case participate in any actions on the Afghan territory,” Bordyuzha said.

Speaking of the United States’ plans to leave a part of its contingent for training servicemen in Afghanistan, the CSTO chief said this was its right that should be reinforced by the Afghan authorities’ decision.

“It would be good to understand a format of that work and tasks the contingent would face in Afghanistan,” he said.

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Over the past several years, member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) have 10 times increased the package of orders in the sphere of military-technical co-operation, CSTO Secretary General said.

“Intensive military-technical co-operation was conducted throughout the year. I can say that over the past eight years the package of orders made by our states in the sphere of purchase of military-technical equipment on preferential terms has increased 10 times,” Bordyuzha said.

He added that the work aimed at the improvement of several elements of the organisation’s activity had also been carried out within the framework of military-technical co-operation.

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