Russia's position is that Afghanistan should remain an independent state without military bases on its territory, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said, adding that plans are currently being formulated for mutually beneficial, equal cooperation with this country.
"Afghanistan has always attracted the attention of many international players. The position of the Russian Federation is that Afghanistan should remain an independent state without military bases on its territory," he told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of the Council of heads of security agencies and special services of CIS member states in Samarkand. "This is in the interest of both regional states and, above all, the interest of the citizens of Afghanistan," Naryshkin added.
"According to the Russian side, maintaining good relations with Afghanistan requires open and equal dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation. Plans for organizing mutually beneficial economic cooperation are currently being formulated. And we call on other countries to do the same because only together can we restore truly peaceful life in this country," he stressed.
Earlier, Moscow formally recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On July 1, Afghanistan’s new ambassador to Russia Gul Hassan arrived in Moscow. Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko accepted credentials from him on July 3.
On April 17, the Russian Supreme Court granted a plea from the prosecutor general to suspend the ban on the Taliban's activities in the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the removal of the Taliban's status as a terrorist group, paving the way for building a comprehensive partnership with Kabul in the interests of the Russian and Afghan peoples.
MNA/
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