Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu assessed the situation in Afghanistan, Interfax reports.
“After the withdrawal of NATO forces, it is highly likely that a resumption of civil war with all negative consequences can be expected: further deterioration of the life of the population, mass migration, the spread of extremism to neighboring states”, – Shoigu said at the IX Moscow Conference on International Security.
According to him, the development of the situation in Afghanistan “requires close attention of both neighboring countries and international organizations.” The head of the defense department also stressed the need to admit that “over the twenty years of the presence in the country of a significant military grouping of the Western alliance, he has not been able to achieve significant results in stabilizing and forming stable structures of government”.
In addition, Shoigu noted that throughout the entire stay of NATO forces on the territory of Afghanistan, the Russian side called for the consolidation of efforts, the development of a coordinated policy in the Afghan direction.
“However, the alliance’s Russophobia has overpowered pragmatism, and today urgent measures are required to rectify the situation in the country. It is necessary to use the capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in which all the states bordering Afghanistan, including Pakistan and Iran, are represented. It is impossible to untie the “Afghan knot” without interaction with Islamabad and Tehran”, – the minister summed up.