Russian Military Drills In Tajikistan Signal To Partners In Central Asia - Moscow

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2021) Russian military drills in Tajikistan is a signal to Central Asian partners amid the current tensions in Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president's special representative for Afghanistan, said on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that Russian troops in Tajikistan are holding tactical exercises. Russian forces also plan to conduct joint drills with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in early August.

"Therefore [in light of escalations in Afghanistan], such exercises, firstly, are generally useful for the military, regular exercises to develop interaction and training in combat readiness. On the other hand, it sends signals, first of all, to the population of Central Asia that everything is in order ... we have strength. Yes, there may be some alarming moments, but to respond to this, we have armed joint forces that will solve this problem," Kabulov told the Echo of Moscow radio station.