Russia is interested in NATO’s strategy after 2014 for when the withdrawal of the coalition forces from Afghanistan is planned. Other countries which have interests in Afghanistan would also like to receive an answer to the question raised by Russian Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko in Brussels.
As you know, Afghanistan is often called a crossroads between the East and the West.
For the time being, Americans either remain undecided over the number of the remaining contingent or are unwilling to make this information public. According to “The Wall Street Journal”, the figure is 10,000 servicemen. The Pentagon gives another figure – 25,000. In any case, this is far less than the current NATO contingent that numbers nearly 70,000. Editor-in -Chief of the magazine “Russia In Global Affairs” Fyodor Lukyanov says.
"They would like to pull out their main forces and to leave sufficient forces there so that they could feel confident. Hence – new attempts to reveal the so-called moderate Taliban fighters. After Obama’s re-election a boost was given to this process. Americans want to stay in Afghanistan as a guarantee that their interests will be taken into consideration there. Naturally, nobody knows what will turn out of this. Their bases are being strengthened there, and all this is an object of continued suspicions that Americans will stay for long there. Explaining their conduct, Americans say that this is something they always do to settle in a new place. What is true nobody knows. I think that Russia will receive an answer to the above-mentioned question in time. Obama’s administration does not want to aggravate the situation."
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As you know, Afghanistan is often called a crossroads between the East and the West.
For the time being, Americans either remain undecided over the number of the remaining contingent or are unwilling to make this information public. According to “The Wall Street Journal”, the figure is 10,000 servicemen. The Pentagon gives another figure – 25,000. In any case, this is far less than the current NATO contingent that numbers nearly 70,000. Editor-in -Chief of the magazine “Russia In Global Affairs” Fyodor Lukyanov says.
"They would like to pull out their main forces and to leave sufficient forces there so that they could feel confident. Hence – new attempts to reveal the so-called moderate Taliban fighters. After Obama’s re-election a boost was given to this process. Americans want to stay in Afghanistan as a guarantee that their interests will be taken into consideration there. Naturally, nobody knows what will turn out of this. Their bases are being strengthened there, and all this is an object of continued suspicions that Americans will stay for long there. Explaining their conduct, Americans say that this is something they always do to settle in a new place. What is true nobody knows. I think that Russia will receive an answer to the above-mentioned question in time. Obama’s administration does not want to aggravate the situation."
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