MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Russian will continue to supply foods and essentials to Afghanistan on a regular basis, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting of the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan.

"For our part, we will continue to supply food and essential goods to Afghanistan on a regular basis," he stated.

He noted that, according to the UN, more than 23 million people, including 12 million minors, were in dire need of humanitarian aid.

"We proceed from the need for increasing the amount of international humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. This assistance should not be politicized," he stated. "Moscow will also continue its policy of developing political, trading and economic ties with Afghanistan."

The Moscow format was established in 2017 on the basis of a six-party mechanism of consultations by special representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and Pakistan. The group’s first meeting was held on April 14, 2017, with deputy ministers and special envoys from 11 countries, including the Afghan side, taking part. The main objective of consultations on the Moscow platform is to facilitate national reconciliation in Afghanistan and restore peace to the country as soon as possible.