Russia confirms its participation in protecting the borders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization

Moscow-Sana

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced today that Russian military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan will take part in protecting the borders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the event of direct aggression from the Afghan direction.

"Our base in Tajikistan is very strong and if necessary in the event of direct aggression it will participate in the defense of the CSTO borders, and the same applies to our base in Kyrgyzstan," Shoigu was quoted by Sputnik news agency as saying at a meeting with the scientific community of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Shoigu stressed the need to support and assist the CSTO members in every possible way, noting that Moscow and Dushanbe are implementing a joint program to re-equip the Tajik army with the need to enhance the combat capabilities of the border forces.

Shoigu referred to the start of the Russian-Tajik-Uzbek exercises, during which tasks related to the situation in the region will be defined, in which more than a thousand soldiers from Russia will participate.

The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, announced today that his country has increased arms supplies to Central Asian countries to repel potential terrorist threats amid the escalation in Afghanistan.