MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. Russia has invited the Taliban movement (banned in Russia) to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Zamir Kabulov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department, told TASS.

"An invitation was sent to them (the Taliban - TASS). I don't know how high up it goes," he said.

Replying to a question as to which subjects will be touched upon with the Taliban representatives at the forum, Kabulov said that there are many promising fields of cooperation. "Traditionally, the Afghanis are interested in continuing expanding cooperation on purchasing petroleum products and other hot commodities from Russia. Certainly, it is possible to talk about using Afghanistan’s transit capabilities in order to expand trade turnover with this vast region," the diplomat noted.