NATO seeks Russia's advice on Afghanistan withdrawal

[pmaitra]

NATO seeks Russia's advice on Afghanistan withdrawal - report

Soviet troops withdrawing from Afghanistan to the Soviet Union, 1986. (RIA Novosti / Alexandr Graschenkov)

NATO commanders have unofficially asked the Russian Defense Ministry for information on the Soviet troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, in order to use the experience in the planned pull out from the country, a Russian newspaper has revealed.

NATO officials are interested in meeting the participants of the 1989 operation and also in a joint study of all related papers Kommersant daily wrote quoting unnamed sources in NATO.

The request was secret because the western military commanders did not want to draw parallels between the current coalition mission in Afghanistan and the Soviet stay in this country.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that there were no reasons to reject the request and most likely some documents will be provided.

NATO officials have said they had not used the Soviet Military experience when planning the withdrawal of the coalition troops from Afghanistan. Chairman of the Military Committee General Knud Bartels reiterated this stance during his visit to Moscow in December. But Kommersant suggested that the topic might be raised again at the international security conference in Moscow due in late May.

Russia and NATO will also be holding a conference at foreign ministers' level on April 23.

Russia's envoy to NATO Aleksandr Glushko said in a press interview on Friday that Russia was offering to use the Baltic port of Ust-Luga for use in the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Russian official added that the existing transit route via the airport in Ulyanovsk remains operative.

In early April NATO's deputy secretary general Alexander Vershbow said that transporting coalition cargo through the Ulyanovsk transport hub appeared to be too expensive and the alliance might stop using it.

Glushko praised the existing level of Russia-NATO cooperation and said that it gives additional opportunities to promote Russian military hardware on foreign markets. He noted that cutting the military budget might make foreign officials pay closer attention to Russian products that were effective and tested and offered at much lower prices.

Source: NATO seeks Russia's advice on Afghanistan withdrawal - report — RT Russian politics

 

[Austin]

With NATO pulling out of Afghanistan , Pakistan will be back in business they were just lying low and waiting for the day NATO leaves Afghanistan.

Expect ISI to support home grown "moderate" taliban with western blessing to rule the place and establishing Strategic Depth

 

[asianobserve]

With NATO pulling out of Afghanistan , Pakistan will be back in business they were just lying low and waiting for the day NATO leaves Afghanistan.

Expect ISI to support home grown "moderate" taliban with western blessing to rule the place and establishing Strategic Depth

NATO will remain in Afghanistan. Even the war averse Germans are going to station troops after 2014...

Berlin Says It Will Keep Up To 800 Soldiers in Afghanistan After 2014 - SPIEGEL ONLINE

 

[sayareakd]

When US leave Afgan, then ISI and Pak will jump into Afgan try to put their own guys to run the country and do 9/11 second time. It is just matter of time, whole world will do this

 

[JBH22]

The Russian Defense Ministry said that there were no reasons to reject the request and most likely some documents will be provided.

Would be Great if Indian military school get a glimpse of that conflict,understanding this conflict has direct implications for India security

 

[Yusuf]

If the request was to be a secret, wonder who leaked it to the media? Wonder what kind of "expertise" is NATO seeking from Russia for the withdrawal. At that time, Russia shared its boundary with the Afghanistan and getting troops back home was a border crossing away. NATO faces the task of sailing across seas.

NATO can use the CAR route for which Russia can advice.