MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Washington’s attempts to gain a foothold in the former Central Asian Soviet republics, using the worsening situation in Afghanistan as an excuse, must be stopped, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Wednesday.

"It’s of critical importance to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a testing ground for the ill-conceived and reckless geopolitical gambits of outside players,’’ he said at an annual meeting of security council secretaries of the CIS, a group of former Soviet republics known as the Commonwealth of Independent States. ‘’I’m referring primarily to the attempts by the US and their allies to gain a foothold in the region, including the CIS area, using the worsening of the situation in that country as an excuse.’’

‘’These initiatives must be stopped in accordance with the decisions that have been taken at the highest level,’’ he said.

Patrushev called for joint efforts by the CIS to work with Afghanistan. There’s a need to have a clear picture of what is going on in Afghanistan, set the priorities in resolving problems and propose well-balanced solutions that would help to settle the crisis in Afghanistan, including fostering national reconciliation and economic recovery, Patrushev said.