Russia to help rebuild Afghanistan, says Putin

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Russian president has asked the United States and its allies to bear the lion’s share of funding Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

Vladimir Putin made the remarks during a meeting with his Turkmen counterpart Serdar Berdimuhamedov in Moscow on Friday.

The state-run TASS news agency quoted the Russian leaser as stressing that the main obligations for the reconstruction of Afghanistan should be discharged by the US and its allies.

He claimed the two-decade presence of the US and its partners had pushed Afghanistan into a critical situation, including the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

“Russia is ready to continue joint work with Turkmenistan and other partners … on the post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan,” Putin affirmed.

He went on to pledge to help ensure the integration of the conflict-devastated country into regional infrastructure and logistics projects.

Both sides noted the importance of ensuring stability and security in Afghanistan and addressing acute socio-economic problems.

Putin called for neutralising threats emanating from the Afghan territory. He believed the threats were primarily related to terrorism.

PAN Monitor/mud