DUSHANBE, January 28. /TASS/. Russia has pledged aid for Central Asia's Tajikistan in building up its armed forces amid military and political developments linked to international coalition forces leaving neighbouring Afghanistan.

Consolidation of defense capabilities are of top priority for countries assessed strongholds of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the region, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmon in Dushanbe on Wednesday.

Relations between defense agencies of the two countries are "businesslike" in seeking to ensure Central Asian security, Antonov said.