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Official: SCO, Moscow-led bloc to ensure Asia’s stability after US’ botched Afghan pullout

Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev mentioned that Afghanistan "had become a litmus test, once again confirming that Washington had no friends across the world but only its own self-centered interests"

© Senior Airman Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force via AP

MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states will safeguard stability in Central Asia, in particular, amid the reckless pullout of US troops from Afghanistan, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev told the Argumenty i Fakty newspaper on Tuesday.

"The irresponsible withdrawal of American troops [from Afghanistan] has resulted in mounting challenges to states in the region, which the West not only failed to resolve, but even exacerbated. At this point, the SCO and CSTO countries are becoming the main guarantors of stability in Central Asia," Patrushev noted.

The security council’s chief mentioned that Afghanistan "had become a litmus test, once again confirming that Washington had no friends across the world but only its own self-centered interests." In this regard, Patrushev recalled the events in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, and earlier in Yugoslavia, calling them the examples of "the destructive American strategy of global domination." "Having spent trillions of dollars on military operations, the US and its allies have left chaos and devastation everywhere," the Russian official pointed out.

Meddling in internal affairs

Patrushev noted that if Washington "could not achieve its goals by outright military intervention, it would aggressively meddle in the internal affairs of sovereign states." Furthermore, the security council chief pointed out, the US is trying to cut off unwanted countries even from the supply of basic means of survival.

As an example, he cited the situation in Cuba, which escalated this summer. "Moscow immediately sent planes with food, medicine and equipment. Washington called on Cubans to take to the streets and overthrow the legitimate government. This is American democracy," Patrushev scoffed.

"Nevertheless, in each of its draft laws, the US cynically labels Russia, China, Iran and a number of other states ‘bad’, troublemakers, revenge-seekers, and malicious players," Patrushev concluded.

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Foreign policy Afghanistan Nikolay Patrushev

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