Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in India, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that extremist groups based in Afghanistan pose a threat to Central Asia and asked the international community to cooperate in abolishing these threats.
Shoigu added: “Most of the extremist groups that live in Afghanistan pose a real threat and spread their ideology to the democratic countries of the region. Russia believes that a significant place should be given to the issue of Afghanistan in the agenda of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting. Only regional and international cooperation can solve the problems that Afghanistan is encountering alone.”
Responding to the Shoigu’s statements the spokesperson of the IE, Zabihullah Mujahid said that Afghan security forces not only strengthened security inside the country, but have also combated hard against other militants.
Mujahid added: “The IEA declines the remarks of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergey Shoigu that armed groups from Afghanistan pose a great threat to the security of Central Asian countries.”
Mujahid said that the regional countries should prevent their citizens that cross the borders and carry out terrorist activities in Afghanistan.
He added: “Unfortunately, we have to say that several recent incidents of insecurity in Afghanistan have been committed by the citizens of some countries in the region. The continuation of it creates problems so the governments must fulfill their responsibility.”
On the other hand, political analysts are also of the opinion that the role of the region and neighboring countries in the past four decades of troubles in the country is very clear and they want these countries to think positively about Afghanistan.
Russia’s concern about Afghanistan’s security situation rises at a time when, a few days ago, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the Taliban the truth of Afghanistan and said negotiations with them are inevitable.
