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Russia to strengthen Tajikistan’s military potential over situation in Afghanistan

"We are set to further strengthen Tajikistan’s military potential both within the CSTO and on a bilateral basis," Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said

TASHKENT, September 20. /TASS/. Moscow intends to further strengthen Tajikistan’s military potential both on a bilateral basis and within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) due to the situation in Afghanistan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said on Monday.

"We are set to further strengthen Tajikistan’s military potential both within the CSTO and on a bilateral basis. The 201st Russian military base that is operational there is provided with all the necessary capabilities to ward off all possible threats that may emanate from the territory of Afghanistan," the deputy foreign minister said on the sidelines of the conference, Russia and Uzbekistan Facing Development and Security Challenges at a New Historical Stage of Interaction, in response to a question from TASS.

Russia takes into account Afghanistan-related risks in its military planning, Rudenko said.

"First of all, this concerns the CSTO countries that are at the forefront, in particular, Tajikistan. Quite recently, drills were held on the territory of Tajikistan and the armed forces of Uzbekistan also joined them. This vividly demonstrates that it is a matter of understanding common challenges that exist and the need to respond to them rather than an issue of membership in organizations," the high-ranking Russian diplomat stressed.

The conference that is running in the capital of Uzbekistan has been organized by the Institute of Strategic and Inter-Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Valdai international discussion club.

Tags

Afghanistan Tajikistan

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