Russian diplomat warns of looming potential for terrorist haven to pop up in Central Asia

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. A danger exists that terrorists might find a safe haven in Central Asia in light of the developments in Afghanistan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS. "I am afraid, first of all, that a safe haven for terrorists and extremists may appear there [in Afghanistan] without reference to the Taliban (radical militant group, outlawed in Russia - TASS)," he said. "There may be a consolidation of that terrorist underground or semi-underground, even on the territory of the Central Asian states." According to Ryabkov, if that is the case, it will be more difficult to keep the situation under control. In his view, on the whole, "the Americans have certainly lost" because of these developments, "but probably everyone, except the Taliban, is at a disadvantage." No one will benefit from what happened," he insisted. "It will take a long time to achieve some kind of a new, at least a relative balance." Since these developments have instilled ‘fear and awe’ among those around them, it is now difficult to expect that "countries, including [Afghanistan’s] neighbors, will seriously pursue shaping a new model of dialogue, especially in some multilateral contacts," Ryabkov went on to say. "They may take a hands-off approach to all that for some time," he noted. Ryabkov also did not rule out that it would be more difficult for him to work with US counterparts in light of what happened, since there are fewer issues "where the United States is interested in an in-depth professional political and diplomatic process, where Moscow and Washington are on an equal footing." Photo by Nozim Kalandarov/TASS Read more