Kazakhstan, Astana, Sept. 7 / Trend D.Mukhtarov /
Today tension is growing in Central Asia in light of the upcoming withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, Uzbek President Islam Karimov said at a meeting with his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana on Friday.
"Our countries' problems can be seen with the naked eye today. Worsening of tension is evident in light of the upcoming withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from Afghanistan," Karimov said.
He said that in this regard the Central Asian region is witnessing a tense situation. The Uzbek president also noted that in this situation it's necessary to expand joint activity to oppose any impending threat.
NATO plans to withdraw coalition forces as from Afghanistan in 2014.