Russia stands for the build-up of international dialogue mechanisms on the Afghan problem, which still seriously affects regional security, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said on Friday at multilateral consultations in Dushanbe.
The meeting is attended by national security advisers and secretaries of the security councils of Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the press service of the Russian Security Council office said.
"Taking into account the continuing serious influence of the Afghan factor on regional security, I consider the holding of our meeting today very timely," Patrushev said. He expressed the hope that the practice of such multilateral consultations will be continued in the future.
"At the same time, it is necessary to increase work on the whole range of international dialogue mechanisms on the Afghan problem, which have been created and are working under the leading role of our countries. The Moscow format occupies an important place among them, and its work will continue," emphasized the secretary of the Security Council. In addition, the ministerial meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors in China was of great significance. Patrushev also noted Uzbekistan's initiative to hold an international high-level conference on Afghanistan under the aegis of the SCO in Tashkent in July. According to the Russian Security Council secretary, the development of the situation in Afghanistan is an integral topic in the course of CSTO and CIS events as well. "All the dialogue formats I have mentioned should organically complement each other in order to develop unified positions on the Afghan direction," concluded the head of the Russian delegation.
At Friday's meeting, Patrushev expects to discuss in detail the whole range of problems connected with the development of the situation in Afghanistan and to consider "concrete practical measures of counteracting challenges and threats emanating from the Afghan territory." "I am convinced that our meeting today will give additional momentum to the development of cooperation of our states in the Afghan direction and will also contribute to the soonest establishment of long-term peace in Afghanistan," the secretary of the Security Council said.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS