DUSHANBE. Dec 19 (Interfax) - The intensified activity of international terrorist groups in Afghanistan creates threats and challenges in the region and, accordingly, the need for measures to contain them, Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo said in Dushanbe on Tuesday following the delivery of Russian hardware and weapons.
"The Tajik army is an outpost protecting the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization; it also plays an important role in the provision of Russia's security and makes a contribution to peace and security in Central Asia," Mirzo said.
Security and stability have always been high on the agenda of Russia-Tajikistan cooperation, Mirzo said. "This is an area where our cooperation and interaction have special meaning, given today's realities," he said.
"Conditions taking shape in various parts of the world, including in direct proximity to our borders, and the intensified activity of terrorist groups in Afghanistan creates the need to elaborate and implement appropriate measures to stop related threats and challenges and minimize their negative effect on our common security," Mirzo said.
"In this context, Tajikistan is doing everything necessary to prevent the spread of those threats into countries of the region," he said.
The military assistance provided by Russia will be used above all to reinforce and improve the combat readiness of Tajik military units stationed in the most vulnerable parts of the border with Afghanistan and to ensure common security, he said.
"I am sure that our combined efforts will ensure regional security and reliably deter various threats and challenges," Mirzo said.
Another set of Russian weapons and military hardware was given to the Tajik army on Tuesday for the purpose of protecting the border with Afghanistan. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow supplied Dushanbe with 122 million dollars' worth of military products in 2017.