KAZAN, September 29. /TASS/. The West must not be allowed to dodge responsibility for its disastrously "failed experiment in Afghanistan" and shift it onto the shoulders of the countries of the region, Russian Special Presidential Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, who also serves as director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department, said at a meeting of the Moscow group for consultations on Afghanistan now taking place in Kazan.

"The collective West should not be allowed to escape responsibility for its failed 20-year experiment in Afghanistan and shift this responsibility onto the shoulders of the region’s countries - [onto] our shoulders," he declared.

"We are well aware of the Westerners’ other schemes, aimed, it seems, at grabbing the initiative in Afghan affairs away from the region’s powers. They are trying to drive a wedge by drawing some so-called selected partners into their orbit and turning their back on others," Kabulov said.