U.S.' attempts to settle in Central Asia after leaving Afghanistan won't do any good - Shoigu
DUSHANBE. July 28 (Interfax) - The United States, which is leaving Afghanistan after losing whatever could have been lost, is trying to settle in the Central Asian region, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told journalists in Dushanbe on Wednesday.
"The U.S. has loudly announced to everyone that it's leaving Afghanistan. This is truly so. But simultaneously, negotiations are ongoing with all countries neighboring Afghanistan on setting up some logistics centers and bases for withdrawing hardware from there. And naturally, centers that, among other things, could accommodate refugees from Afghanistan, with whom the U.S. has collaborated for a long time there," Shoigu said.
It is not a secret to anyone that these negotiations "are active enough and importunate enough," he said.
"I can only say one thing here, and this would be properly and sanely logical: why are you leaving just to stop behind the fence and, metaphorically speaking, peep through the holes to see what's going on there? Why leave then? To stay literally right on the border? The answer is absolutely obvious: this is an attempt to settle in in the Central Asia region. Certainly, having lost whatever could have been lost in Afghanistan," Shoigu said.
It is hard to find "a good place" on the planet "where the U.S. has come and where it's stayed for a long time with good consequences," he said.
"Take, for instance, Syria, or take, for instance, Libya - is there anything good there? Everything is continuing there. Talking about Syria, the state is being shamelessly plundered, oil and other mineral resources are being shamelessly taken away from there. They're being taken away unbeknownst to the Syrian state and without any benefit for it," Shoigu said.
On the other hand, "sanctions have been kept in place which ban shipping the same oil products to that same Syria," he said.
"And it's not only about oil products. It's also about food, medicine, and whatnot. What good has happened there? Libya has been split in two now, and God willing, the agreements reached and signed in Berlin will be implemented. Naturally, everyone is doing everything possible for Libya to eventually become a peaceful and, God willing, a united and prosperous state," Shoigu said.
When non-regional players meddle in the game, "we have what we have," Shoigu said. "I can cite a bunch of other examples, but I think this is enough," he said.