Thursday, April 19, 2012

Russia Is Worried About Afghanistan

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, following the Nato-Russian meeting in Brussels. Photograph: Sebastien Pirlet/REUTERS

Russia Urges NATO To Stay In Afghanistan Beyond 2014 -- Christian Science Monitor

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the timeline for a NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan. Russia fears a spillover of Islamist militancy into the former Soviet republics on its border.

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov urged NATO to keep its forces in Afghanistan beyond President Barack Obama's 2014 deadline for withdrawing from the decade-old war.

"As long as Afghanistan is not able to ensure by itself the security in the country, the artificial timelines of withdrawal are not correct and they should not be set," Mr. Lavrov said during a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels today.

Read more
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More News On Russian Concerns Over Afghanistan

Russia worried about Afghanistan -- UPI
NATO head calls on China, Russia to help fund Afghan forces -- Chicago Tribune/Reuters
Russia Slams NATO’s Afghan Withdrawal -- Military.com/AP
Russia concerned about NATO's Afghanistan withdrawal -- Deutsche Welle
Russia attacks Nato Afghanistan withdrawal plan -- The Guardian
Russia Criticizes NATO’s Withdrawal From Afghanistan -- Voice of America
Russia Criticizes NATO's Afghan Plan -- Wall Street Journal
Russia Has Emerged As The Biggest Supporter Of The Afghan Occupation -- Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: Russia's number one worry is this .... but Russia's neighbors have an Islamic militancy problem, and this problem will only escalate if the Taliban and their allies find themselves back in power in Kabul.

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