Afghanistan seeking to develop ties with Russia: Muttaqi

Afghanistan is seeking to develop its political and economic relations with Russia, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said.

Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov on Wednesday met with Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed political, security and economic cooperation between Afghanistan and Russia, according to Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesperson for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Muttaqi added that the security situation in the country has improved and assured the Russian envoy that there would not be any security threat emanating from Afghanistan to neighboring countries.

“Afghanistan is interested in expanding its political and economic relations with Russia,” said Muttaqi, adding that the “security has improved in Afghanistan and fortunately, there is no serious security threat inside nor emanating from Afghanistan.”

Russian Ambassador Zhirnov meanwhile emphasized the close relations and cooperation between the two countries.

“The Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov also stressed maintaining close ties between the two countries, expressing readiness for future visits by various government delegations between the two countries,” Ahmad said.

The meeting came after several remarks by the Russian delegations concerning the risks and security threat from Afghanistan to the Central Asian countries.

However, the IEA officials reiterated that they would not allow any groups or entities from Afghanistan to attack the neighboring countries.