MOSCOW. July 20 (Interfax) - Russia is taking steps to help reinforce the Tajik-Afghan border and is supplying advanced weapons to Tajikistan, Russian Ambassador to Tajikistan Igor Lyakin-Frolov said in an interview published in the Kommersant newspaper on Tuesday.
"The Russian side is participating in efforts to reinforce the Tajik-Afghan border. In particular, there are plans to start the construction of one of border outposts in the Shuroabad sector," Lyakin-Frolov said when asked what measures Russia is taking to help Tajikistan bolster security on the border in response to an surge in extremist activity in neighboring Afghanistan.
The command of Russia's 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan "has been helping train personnel for this country's Armed Forces," the diplomat said.
"Apart from that, Russia, acting under long-term agreements, has been implementing the program to modernize the Armed Forces of the Republic of Tajikistan, supplying our Tajik friends with state-of-the-art weapons and military hardware," Lyakin-Frolov said.
At the same time, the situation in Tajikistan remains stable, he said.
"We are not observing any panic sentiments. On the contrary, we see the Tajik authorities' determination to do everything they can to reinforce the Tajik-Afghan border in order to prevent any penetration of extremists from the territory of Afghanistan," he said.