Russia to help stabilise Afghanistan, vows Putin

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russia has promised efforts at stabilising the volatile situation in Afghanistan through multilateral mechanisms.

President Vladimir Putin also spoke of the terrorist infiltration threat while addressing a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Armenia on Wednesday.

"Last week, a meeting of the Moscow format of consultations was held in Moscow. Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, India and the five Central Asian countries attended the talks,” he recalled.

At the meeting, the participants pledged to ensure the formation of a truly inclusive government representing all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.

Militants could steal into Eurasian countries from Afghanistan, where the situation remains volatile, warned the Russian leader.

TASS news agency quoted him as saying: “I share the concerns of my colleagues who have spoken out about the situation in Afghanistan.”

Putin believed the situation in the war-battered country remained challenging. The risk of terrorist infiltrating into CSTO states was still high, he noted.

He underlined the need for continued close coordination within CSTO on all aspects of the Afghanistan conundrum.

The threats could be warded off through joint special operations, said the Russian president said Moscow will also seek to stabilise Afghanistan through other multilateral mechanisms.

PAN Monitor/mud