'Russia stands for peace, prosperity in Afghanistan'

MOSCOW

Moscow stands for peace, prosperity, and security in Afghanistan, Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Addressing a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Sergey Lavrov said a concrete strategy on Afghanistan would be worked out and announced at a meeting of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in the Tajik capital Dushanbe in mid-September followed by a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

"Russia takes a position in favor of peace, prosperity and security in this region," Lavrov said, adding that terrorists, drug traffickers, and other members of organized criminal groups should not be allowed to use the Afghan soil for their activities.

For his part, Mirzoyan said Armenia is closely following the current situation and all developments in Afghanistan.

"We are committed to peace in the region and will welcome and respect the choice of the Afghan people," he said.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan after taking the control of Kabul on Aug. 15, forcing the president and other top officials to leave the country.​​​​​​​