Russia fears NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan could be premature
BRUSSELS. Oct 5 (Interfax-AVN) - The operation in Afghanistan is a milestone for NATO and its results will inevitably influence the alliance's future policies and the way it is perceived amid a new emerging system of international relations, Russia's acting envoy to NATO Nikolai Korchunov told Interfax.
"We will analyze the operation in Afghanistan primarily from the point of view of threats to security coming from the territory of this country and risks to stability in the region as a whole," the diplomat said.
The situation in Afghanistan is expected to dominate the agenda of a meeting of defense ministers from NATO member states on October 9-10.
"The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is currently transferring security functions to the Afghan side. It is an extremely important process, which leaves no room for mistakes. "Irresponsibility" in the form of continuing rampant crime and illegal drug production in many provinces and regions must not be transferred," Korchunov said.
"In our opinion, it would not be totally correct to set any artificial timeframe for soldiers' withdrawal until the Afghan side is capable of maintaining security in its state on its own," he said.
The mandate given by the UN Security Council should be fulfilled completely, Korchunov said.
Russia wants the NATO mission in Afghanistan to succeed, he added,
Asked whether or not security could plummet in Afghanistan after the international forces left the country, Korchunov said that "apparently, such a risk actually exists."
Former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband once said if the ISAF left Afghanistan, it would take the Taliban hours, not even days, to come to power there, Korchunov said.
"I would like to believe that the actual situation there is not that bad. In the end, Mohammad Najibullah's government managed to stay in power for three years after the Soviet contingent left Afghanistan," the Russian diplomat said.