ASTANA, November 28. /TASS/. Russia sees an opportunity to boost relations with Afghanistan amid the country's stabilization, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
"The CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] is not only alive but thriving," Putin told journalists following the CSTO Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. "All member countries participating in its work are interested in maintaining these ties both now and in the future."
The Russian president pointed to a tense global situation.
"What’s going on in Ukraine is not the only reason things are difficult. Is everything so good in Asia? He added. - Should the events on the borders of the commonwealth countries with Afghanistan make us feel so good as to turn our attention elsewhere?"
"The situation in Afghanistan is complex," Putin noted. "Still, we hope to build strong relations with Afghanistan."
"We cannot ignore the fact that the situation in the country is stabilizing. We are engaged in bilateral relations with the current authorities of Afghanistan and they [the relations] will be developed further," the Russian president added.
"However, the situation remains complicated and demands our close attention, including from the CSTO," Putin said. "After all, the CSTO is concerned not only with military issues, but also with fighting organized crime, drug trafficking and so on. So there is plenty of work to do, and member states are equally interested in addressing this."
On November 25, an extensive Russian delegation, which was led by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and also included Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk, held four meetings with Afghanistan’s Vice Prime Minister Mohammad Abdul Kabir, Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar, Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.