MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is not planning to deploy more military bases in Central Asia, Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said at a meeting of CSTO security council secretaries in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The deployment of additional military bases is not being planned now," Ivanov told journalists in reply to a question from Interfax.
Addressing the evacuation of U.S. military bases from Uzbekistan's Khanabad, Ivanov said, "Uzbekistan's decision on the presence of a U.S. military base is the decision of a sovereign state. As regards Russia, it is building its relations with the CIS and Central Asia states."
The fact that NATO infrastructure is approaching the borders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)'s member-states is increasing tensions in this area, Ivanov said.
"The situation surrounding the CSTO area of responsibility is becoming complicated: the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East has not been settled, NATO's military infrastructure is approaching the borders, external forces are attempting to interfere in our states' internal affairs under different pretexts, and extremist organizations and organized crime activity is growing," Ivanov said.
At the same time, the CSTO countries have stepped up activity to oppose drug-trafficking from Afghanistan's territory, Ivanov said.
CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha told the press that the organization is planning to compile a unified list of terrorist organizations.