LONDON. March 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is interested in adopting a number of measures to guarantee its own security and the security of its partners in Central Asia after the withdrawal of the coalition force from Afghanistan in 2014, Russian Defense Minister Gen. Sergei Shoigu has said.
"The subject of Afghanistan requires additional discussion, especially its part concerning the period after 2014. We are clearly interested in adopting all the measures that should be taken after the withdrawal of the coalition force," he said at a press conference in London following a session of the Strategic Dialogue on the 2+2 format.
"We agreed to continue the dialogue in the framework of the conference to which we invited our colleagues - defense ministers from NATO and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member-nations," Shoigu said.
"We see the threats coming from Afghanistan to both Russia and our allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). We regularly discuss them and we spoke of them today," he said.
"We will continue discussing the subject of Afghanistan at the conference in May. I hope all defense ministers of NATO countries and the region will attend," he said.
"We are interested in constructive and correct dialogue," Shoigu said.
When the Soviet Union pulled out of Afghanistan "we left behind equipment and trained people. Those were airplanes, helicopters, armored vehicles. With that weaponry they succeeded in carrying on for two years," he said.
"You remember what happened after that. We spoke of that today too," the Russian minister said.
Asked whether the withdrawal of ISAF from Afghanistan is well- or ill-timed he said: "If the Armed Forces of Afghanistan are properly trained and armed in the remaining two years, if they are going to be ready to operate throughout the country's territory - we are especially interested in northern territories - it will be well-timed," Shoigu said.