Russia Not to Send Peacekeepers to Iraq, Afghanistan: Defense Minister

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, June 19, 2003

Russia Not to Send Peacekeepers to Iraq, Afghanistan: Defense Minister

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of Russian troops' participation in peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russian news agencies reported.

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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of Russian troops' participation in peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Russian news agencies reported.

"Even having a vivid imagination, I cannot imagine our military performing peacekeeping functions in Iraq," Ivanov was quoted as saying, adding that Russia will not send a peacekeeping contingent to Afghanistan.

"Russia sends its peacekeepers only when the UN gives an appropriate mandate," he noted.

However, the defense minister stressed Russia's intention to establish new military bases abroad.

"We have plans to create new military bases abroad, including in Kyrgyzstan," he said. "This is above all aimed at ensuring our national security interests."

Russian troops are now stationed in all the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the former Soviet republics.

Commenting on Russian peacekeeping troops' withdrawal from the Balkans, Ivanov said it did not mean that Moscow lost its interest in the region.

"We will be present in the Balkans as part of a police force and will also work in the interests of the region through diplomatic means," he explained.

Russia decided to pull out its peacekeeping forces from the Balkans earlier this year. So far, Russia has withdrawn its peacekeepers from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Russian peacekeepers stationed in Kosovo are due to pull out by the end of July.

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