Washington, Moscow Discuss Counterterrorism Support in Helsinki

World

September 23rd, 7:22am

Washington - Elie Youssef

US struggles to get military basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan (AP)

The top US military officer met with his Russian counterpart Wednesday in the Finnish capital, Helsinki, in the first military high-level meeting since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov discussed US struggles to get military basing rights and other counterterrorism support in countries bordering Afghanistan, a move that Moscow opposes. Without troops on the ground, the US needs to forge more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements to help monitor al-Qaeda and ISIS militants in Afghanistan to ensure they are not regrouping and planning new terrorist operations. Milley declined to provide details of the meeting to reporters traveling with him to Helsinki. In a statement Wednesday, Col. Dave Butler, Milley’s spokesman, said the meeting would last all day and is “military focused.” “Both sides seek increased transparency to reduce misunderstanding and increase stability,” Butler noted. “The meeting is serious, both generals display mutual respect for each other though both have taken the opportunity to quip or joke on occasion,” AP quoted Butler as saying. Both sides agreed not to disclose details of the talks, which has been the practice in previous meetings and calls. But just a few days ago, Milley made it clear the basing issue was a key topic on his mind on this European trip, saying he discussed it with NATO counterparts when they met in Athens over the weekend. Milley, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and American intelligence officials have warned that al-Qaeda or ISIS could regenerate and pose a threat to the United States in one year to two years. US military leaders have said they can conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan from “over the horizon,” that is assets based in other countries. But they acknowledge that surveillance flights from bases in the Persian Gulf region are long and provide limited time in the air over Afghanistan. Therefore, the US and allies want basing agreements, overflight rights and increased intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. So far there are no indications of any progress. Moscow maintains a tight grip on the central Asian nations and opposes western presence there. In July, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow warned the US that any deployment of American troops in countries neighboring Afghanistan “is unacceptable.” He said Russia told the US in a direct and straightforward way that it would change a lot of things not only in our perceptions of what’s going on in that important region, but also in our relations with the United States.” Ryabkov also said that Russia had a “frank talk” with the Central Asian countries to warn them not to allow US troops within their borders.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/3204896/washington-moscow-discuss-counterterrorism-support-helsinki