"After the withdrawal of NATO forces, we can expect a resumption of civil war with all the negative consequences: further deterioration of the population's life, mass migration, and the spread of extremism to neighboring states," Shoigu said at the IX Moscow Conference on International Security.
"The development of the situation in Afghanistan requires the close attention of both neighboring countries and international organizations. It is necessary to recognize that for twenty years of stay in the country of a significant military group of the Western alliance, it has not been able to achieve significant results in the stabilization and formation of stable government structures, " Shoigu said.
According to him, throughout the entire period of the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan, the Russian side has repeatedly called for the consolidation of efforts and the development of a coordinated policy in the Afghan direction.
"However, the alliance's Russophobia has overcome pragmatism, and today urgent measures are required to correct the situation in the country. It is necessary to use the capabilities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which represents all the states bordering Afghanistan, including Pakistan and Iran. Without cooperation with Islamabad and Tehran, it is impossible to untie the "Afghan knot"," the defense minister said.
Interfax notes that earlier this year, the United States and its NATO partners began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. This operation should be completed by September 11, 2021.
