Russian servicemen walk during an operation to search for unexploded military shells, which were used during previous military war games, outside Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Jan. 17, 2012. (Reuters)
DUSHANBE, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia will help Tajikistan technically re-equip its armed forces and strengthen its border with Afghanistan due to threats from that country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday.
"We have already begun working," Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with his Tajik counterpart, Sirodjidin Muhriddin, in the capital city of Dushanbe.
Later in the day, Lavrov told college students in Dushanbe that the situation in Afghanistan is alarming.
According to him, Islamic State terrorists attempt to take control of the sections of the Afghan border in the north, in particular the border with Tajikistan.
Russia, therefore, will continue to contribute to the strengthening of the combat capability of the Tajik armed forces, supplying them with modern weapons and military equipment, and holding joint drills, Lavrov said.
Currently, about 600 Tajik cadets are studying at universities of the Russian Defense Ministry, in addition to 2,370 who already received such training, he said.