Tajik Foreign Minister: Dushanbe Will Not Participate In Peacekeeping Operation In Afghanistan

According to Tajik Foreign Minister Talbak Nazarov, it is impossible to introduce Tajik peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan. "Introduction of Tajik peacekeeping forces to Afghanistan under the UN aegis is practically impossible," Nazarov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. The rule set by the United Nations is that the country participating in a peacekeeping operation undertakes all expenditures involved, which "certain countries cannot afford, and Tajikistan is one of them," said the foreign minister, explaining that the country had barely begun its economic recovery. At the same time, "the Tajik government has backed the anti-terrorist campaign in Afghanistan and allowed the anti-terrorist coalition to use the country's air space and two of its airports for humanitarian and rescue purposes."