Islam Times - Russia to Develop Bilateral Cooperation with Afghanistan

Islam Times - Russia intends to develop bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan in various fields, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu told the country’s Acting Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Abdul Kabir.

Shoigu paid a visit to Afghanistan on Monday. During four rounds of talks, he discussed economic, transportation, and security issues with Taliban deputy prime ministers and ministers.

"We intend to develop bilateral cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan in many areas. I confirm our readiness to establish a constructive political dialogue between our countries, including for the purpose of giving impetus to the process of intra-Afghan settlement," Shoigu said.

According to him, the Russian side is convinced that the establishment of Afghanistan as a stable and independent state is in the interests of all states in the region. He pointed out that to this end, Russia will continue to support Kabul's integration into regional structures and associations.

"This step will allow not only to establish an effective dialogue on the problems of countering challenges and threats to security, such as terrorism, drug trafficking, but also to intensify trade and economic cooperation," the top security official emphasized.