Moscow and Washington are in contact about the possible consequences of the withdrawal of the American military contingent from Afghanistan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine.
"The situation is ambiguous. I think that due to a number of political, geopolitical and domestic reasons the United States will move towards the withdrawal of its military presence in Afghanistan," he said. - "The consequences of that are multidimensional, we are discussing all that with the Americans".
Ryabkov said that Russia and the US have established channels of dialogue on this topic at various levels: the special envoys for Afghanistan are in close contact and the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State periodically discuss this issue.
According to him, this topic was discussed at the summit in Geneva. "Among its different aspects, I would like to highlight the unacceptability for us of the relocation of the American permanent military presence to the neighboring countries of Afghanistan. We have told the Americans about it directly and frankly; it would change a lot not just in our perception of what is happening in this crucial region, but also in our relations with the US. We warn against this kind of step and are speaking frankly enough to our Central Asian allies, neighbors and friends and to other regional states that are also directly concerned," the deputy head said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS