Russia shares Uzbekistan concerns over situation in Afghanistan - Putin

TASHKENT, December 10. /TASS/. Russia shares Uzbekistan’s concerns over current events in Afghanistan, visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin said after Russian-Uzbek talks in the capital of this Central Asian republic on Wednesday. “We cannot but share the Uzbek president’s concerns over current events in Afghanistan,” the Russian leader said. Moscow and Tashkent are in effective talks on this problem, he noted. The two countries focused on the fighting against a terrorist threat and drug trafficking. The Uzbek president raised at talks the situation in Afghanistan noting that he was alarmed that after withdrawal of international military contingent from that country “the situation which is taking place in Iraq will recur.” “Already today there are serious signs of some elements infiltrating in Afghanistan from Iraq and Syria. All this needs development and taking of joint and pre-emptive measures,” Karimov said. As for drug smuggling, according to incomplete reports, around 80 thousand tonnes of poison are delivered annually from Afghanistan through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other CIS states. Read more