Pakistan, Russia concerned over Daesh proliferation in Afghanistan
islamabad — Russia is “very preoccupied” by the increasing presence and influence of Daesh terrorists in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
“We are very preoccupied by what is happening in Afghanistan and by the expansion of Daesh influence,” Lavrov said during a Press conference in Moscow with his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Mohammed Asif.
Khawaja Asif said Pakistan thinks the number of Daesh terrorists in Afghanistan has surpassed the Taleban groups mentioned on a daily basis by Afghanistan and the US.
“There is absolutely no real acknowledgement by Kabul and Washington of such a large presence or proliferation of Daesh in Afghanistan.” According to Lavrov, the presence of Daesh in the north and east of Afghanistan is “serious” and “already amounts to a thousand people.”
Moscow is especially concerned, he said, about the security threat this creates for neighbouring former Soviet republics and to Russia.
“This is right on the borders of our Central Asian neighbours. It increases the risk of terrorists entering Central Asia, from where it’s not difficult for them to get to Russia, and further,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov said Russia will continue to assist Pakistan to bolster its counterterrorism capabilities, and the two countries will also form a commission for military cooperation. Lavrov said fighting terrorism was a priority area of Russia-Pakistan cooperation, but his country also sees other opportunities for bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Pakistan, especially in the energy sector.
Noting that the two countries will form a commission on military cooperation, the foreign minister said Russia and Pakistan will continue to hold the Druzhba (Friendship) joint military exercise.
Earlier, Asif and Lavrov held indepth discussion on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, important regional and international issues, situation in the Middle East and cooperation between the two countries in the UN and SCO. — AFP, APP