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Russia highly praises Afghan leader Hamid Karzai

KABUL, December 24. /ITAR-TASS/. Activities of Afghan President Hamid Karzai as a national leader are highly praised in Russia, State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin told reporters on Tuesday after talks with Afghan leaders in Kabul, where the speaker is on a working visit.

"I am grateful to President Hamid Karzai for the talk, very open and of mutual interest, in which we exchanged assessments of the situation in Afghanistan," the Russian politician said.

According to him, the Afghan president makes great efforts to achieve national accord, and it is a basis and a condition to eliminate various threats -- terrorism, extremism and drug traffic.

"We highly appraise his activities as a national leader," Naryshkin said.

It is the first visit by a Russian parliament head to Kabul in 35 years.

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