DUSHANBE, July 28. /TASS/. Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will hold a series of drills in the wake of threats emerging amid the pullout of US and NATO military contingents from Afghanistan, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.
"Speaking generally about our cooperation, it is developing quite successfully. We are holding a series of drills with Tajikistan in the wake of those threats that are emerging. Coming next are drills with our Uzbek counterparts to be followed by trilateral Russia-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan maneuvers. I hope that we will hold them within the planned time limits and with the expected effect," Russia’s defense chief said at a meeting with Tajikistan’s Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo.
As the Russian defense minister pointed out, "quite a lot of various sorts of risks and security threats are emerging." "Nonetheless, we must both discuss and make appropriate decisions and measures within the CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to ensure the security of the borders and territories of the countries that are parties to the Collective Security Treaty. I hope to discuss all these issues with you," Shoigu said, noting that large-scale work was underway to ensure the security of the Tajik-Afghan border.
Russia’s defense chief also specified that his meeting with the Tajik defense minister offered a possibility to discuss the issues of security in the Central Asian region. "This is what worries not only us and concerns not only our bilateral relations but also the relations of all the bordering states. We have issues to discuss in the field of military-technical cooperation as well," Shoigu added.