NATO still bears huge responsibility: Russia

KABUL) and proceeds from the assumption that the alliance continues to bear a great share of responsibility for maintaining security in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in connection with the expiration of the ISAF mandate, Tass news agency reports.

“It is clear that over the thirteen years ISAF has been present in Afghanistan its activity has failed to bring about stabilization in that country,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

It said that “the multi-dimensional threats to security, such as religious extremism, terrorism and drug trafficking, which the mission has fought against since 2001 are not only still there, but tend to increase.”

Under the UN Security Council’s Resolution of December 12, 2014, backed by Russia, NATO will deploy its Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan as of January 1, 2015, the Foreign Ministry said, adding although the officially declared tasks are exclusively instruction and consultative assistance to Afghanistan’s national security force “we regard Resolute Support as the ISAF’s ‘heir at law’.”

“We proceed from the assumption that the NATO continues to bear a great share of responsibility for training Afghan law enforcers and military and for maintaining security in Afghanistan in general,” the Ministry said.

PAN/Monitor/rm