Russia is raising combat readiness of its bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan amid attempts by the US and its allies to restore their military presence in Central Asia, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member states in New Delhi, reported from Russian media.

"The United States and its allies, under the pretext of helping in the fight against terrorism, are trying to restore their military presence in Central Asia. We regard requests to the countries of the region to deploy military infrastructure as a direct threat to stability in the SCO space,” he said.

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