Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has admitted that there is a growing danger of terrorists slipping into Central Asia due to the ongoing political turmoil in Afghanistan.

"I am afraid, first of all, that a safe haven for terrorists and extremists may appear there [in Afghanistan]. There may be a consolidation of that terrorist underground or semi-underground, even on the territory of the Central Asian states," Ryabkov told Russian news agency Tass.

Without naming the Taliban, Ryabkov said that it will be difficult to keep the situation under control if extremist elements enter the Central Asian countries.

"The Americans have certainly lost (because of these developments) but probably everyone, except the Taliban, is at a disadvantage. No one will benefit from what happened. It will take a long time to achieve some kind of a new, at least a relative balance," he added.

According to Ryabkov, the recent developments have instilled "fear and awe" among the countries in the region.

"It is now difficult to expect that countries, including [Afghanistan's] neighbours, will seriously pursue shaping a new model of dialogue, especially in some multilateral contacts. They may take a hands-off approach to all that for some time," he was quoted as saying by Tass.

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