“We are now witnessing an obvious aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan, where NATO’s group fails to cope with threats coming from the Taliban,” the parliamentarian noted. “The danger of the spread of Islamic extremism, penetrating in Central Asia - a zone of Russia’s strategic interests, is growing,” Kokoshin added.

“We are vitally interested in maintaining stability and security of our friends and neighbours in that region,” he stressed. “We remember well activities of different Islamic groups in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which posed a real threat,” he said. “Such actions must be stopped immediately with the use of a wide diapason of forces and means on a collective basis,” he is confident.

“Our country together with CSTO partners has accumulated tremendous experience in setting up such kind of forces,” the parliamentarian stressed. “Today we are on the eve of a new stage in the development of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the establishment of its military component,” he said. “Substantial means and forces must be invested in that,” he believes.

“The CSTO Rapid Deployment Force need state-of-the-art hardware, communication means, that will ensure the possibility of a direct contact with the leadership of our countries,” he added.

“Actions of even a small contingent can have a tremendous military and political importance,” the deputy is confident. “That is why, such issues must be solved at the level of the highest state leadership,” he added.