DUSHANBE, December 4 2009, Asia-Plus — Davlat Nazriyev, the head of the Tajik MFA information department, yesterday voiced Tajikistan’s position on U.S. President Barack Obama’s Afghan strategy.
We will recall that President Obama announced on December 1 that 30,000 additional U.S. troops will be deployed to Afghanistan.
“Tajikistan as Afghanistan’s near neighbor sharing common history, culture and language with it cannot stand aside from complications in the military and political situation in Afghanistan; in this connection, Tajik authorities has been taking measures to support speedy establishment of stability in this neighboring country and will support all measures taken to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan,” Nazriyev said.
According to him, a new Afghan strategy of President Obama to increase the U.S. military contingent in Afghanistan by 30,000 military personnel is one of important aspects of the abovementioned elements of the stabilization.
This step will allow preventing intensification of activities of destructive forces in Afghanistan and help provide security and establish peace and stability in this country, the MFA spokesman said.
We will recall that in this televised speech on Tuesday, President Obama said the goal of raising U.S. troop levels is to step up the battle against the Taliban, secure key centers and train Afghan forces so they can take over, allowing for a U.S. withdrawal.
“We always wanted to take over the responsibility for the destiny of our nation,” Afghan Defense Minister Gen. Abdul Rahim Wardak told reporters, adding that Obama”s speech confirmed that the U.S. wants to help them do that, Reuters reported on December 2.
Radio Liberty reported on December 3 that a former Kyrgyz government official says U.S. President Barack Obama”s Afghan strategy is very important for the stability of Central Asia. Former State Property Minister Ravshan Jeenbekov told RFE/RL that increased military operations in Afghanistan might cause Taliban fighters to flee to neighboring countries, including Central Asian states. Jeenbekov, who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, said the weakest countries in the region — including Kyrgyzstan — would be the most vulnerable if that occurred. He said Central Asian leaders should fully support Obama”s strategy on Afghanistan and contribute to its implementation.
