Tajikistan, Russia, and four other former Soviet states are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). “Given the current situation in the region, as well as the remoteness and mountainous terrain of some parts of the border with Afghanistan, dealing with this challenge on our own seems difficult,” Hasan Sultonov,\u00a0the Tajik representative to the CSTO,\u00a0said on Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is\u00a0prepared to help its treaty ally<\/strong>. “We\u2019ll do everything, including using the capabilities of the Russian military base on the border of Tajikistan with Afghanistan, to prevent any aggressive encroachments against our allies,” he said.<\/p>\n Tajikistan has activated 20,000 reservists to bolster the border in response to the Afghan soldiers entering the country.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s unlikely that the Taliban would open up a front in Tajikistan, especially if it risks drawing Russia into the fighting. But the violence in northeast Afghanistan will continue to spill into Tajikistan to some extent.<\/p>\n Russia has been very critical of the US and NATO\u2019s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite the almost 20 years of wars,\u00a0Lavrov described the Western exit from the country as a “hasty withdrawal.”<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.zerohedge.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/inline_image_mobile\/public\/inline-images\/russianbasetajik.jpg?itok=vs7-Ao5R\")