Russia will help Tajikistan build an outpost on the border with Afghanistan for free, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
"We will certainly continue to provide assistance in strengthening Tajikistan's defense capabilities, both bilaterally and as part of the implementation of the CSTO Collective Security Council decision of September 23, 2013, to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border, a key instrument for ensuring the security of the CSTO southern borders," he said.
"The readiness to support our friendly state - both bilaterally and within the CSTO - was also confirmed by (Russian President Vladimir) Putin during his phone conversation with (Tajik President Emomali) Rahmon in early July. Now an intergovernmental agreement is being prepared for signing, offering aid to Tajikistan to build a border outpost on the Tajik-Afghan border," Rudenko said.
Earlier, Igor Lyakin-Frolov, the Russian ambassador to Dushanbe, told RIA Novosti that the Russian 201st military base in Tajikistan, if necessary, would repel any aggressive actions of Afghan terrorists. The 201st military base deployed in Tajikistan is the largest military facility of Russia outside its borders. It is located in two cities, Dushanbe and Bokhtar (the administrative center of Khatlon province). It includes motorized rifle, tank, artillery, reconnaissance, air defense, air defense, and communications units.
In Afghanistan, there is a confrontation between the government forces and the Taliban fighters who have taken control of large areas in the rural areas and launched attacks on major cities. Instability in Afghanistan is increasing against the background of the US Administration's promises to complete withdrawal of troops from the Afghan land by September 11. Washington and the Taliban signed their first peace agreement in more than 18 years of war in Doha in 2020. It provides for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 14 months and the beginning of an inter-Afghan dialogue after the exchange of prisoners.
Inter-Afghan negotiations began last September in Qatar, but for almost ten months the sides have not even been able to agree on an agenda for the dialogue and cannot reach an agreement on key issues, in particular on a cease-fire between government forces and the Taliban.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from RIA Novosti