'Afghanistan Freezes Ties With Regional Security Group', RIA Novosti, 15 September 2008

EXCERPT: "Afghanistan has had virtually no contact over the past year with a regional security group on the post-conflict settlement, the head of the Collective Security Treaty Organization said on Monday. The CSTO is a security grouping comprising Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. 'There has been no cooperation with the Afghan side over the past year. A year ago, the Afghan side stopped all diplomatic contacts with CSTO representatives on the issue of a post-conflict settlement,' Nikolai Bordyuzha. He added that the behavior could be linked to 'big brother giving the Afghans appropriate instructions.' The CSTO group of the post-conflict settlement in Afghanistan was established in 2006 and includes national coordinators from all the CSTO member states. It was meant to provide assistance to Afghanistan's law enforcement, drug-control and other security agencies. Moscow continues to permit non-military supplies for NATO troops stationed in Afghanistan to pass through Russian territory, despite suspending in August all peacekeeping operations with NATO for at least six months."

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See also:
'Drug production in Afghanistan grows two-fold since NATO operation', ITAR-TASS, 15 September 2008
'', 13 September 2008

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