DUSHANBE, December 24, 2014, Asia-Plus — Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to be prepared to take preventive measures against the Islamic State (IS) group in Central Asia.
Russian media sources report that speaking at the CSTO Collective Security Council meeting in Moscow, Putin noted on December 23 that there must be coordinated actions to fight terrorism.
Russian president reportedly expressed concerns about the situation in Afghanistan, including some regarding the Islamic State group.
According to the Kremlin official website, Putin noted that the CSTO should continue focusing its attention on enhancing its close cooperation with Afghanistan, especially in view of the greater risk to regional security posed by the withdrawal of International Forces.
“We are all interested in a flourishing, happy and neutral Afghanistan. We proceed from the notion that the Afghan leadership will work to stabilize the situation in the country,” said Putin. “At the same time, the current situation gives rise to concerns, there are militias of the so-called Islamic State which are threatening that they will include some provinces of Afghanistan in the so-called Islamic caliphate,” Putin said, using the term given by the Islamic State group to describe the areas under its control.”
Russian president noted that “terrorist groups” were trying to extend their activities to Central Asia.
“Under these conditions, the CSTO must be prepared for sufficient preventive measures. In particular, we need to continue focusing on the Tajik-Afghan border and on providing Tajikistan with financial and material aid to modernize its armed forces,” Putin said.
“Today, Tajikistan takes over CSTO presidency from Russia. I would like to wish our Tajikistani friends success in this work. I would like to stress that you can count on our help and support. We, in turn, count on continuity in the Organizations’ activities, on close cooperation in meeting the targets set in the joint Statement of the Heads of Collective Security Treaty Organization Member-States, to be signed following today’s meeting,” Russian president noted.
