KABUL /Afghanistan/, November 12. /TASS/. Russia wants stability in Afghanistan and the region, and it sees a similar aspiration on the part of the Taliban movement, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said during talks with Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar.

"Since Russia officially recognized the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan last July, regular official contacts have been established between our two countries. For us, Afghanistan is an important nation with which we seek to develop relations. We are interested in the stability and sustainable development of Afghanistan and the entire region. We see that the government of Afghanistan is also striving toward this same goal. We see steps being taken by the Taliban leadership to stabilize the situation in the country," Overchuk said.

Russia and Afghanistan "have developed an agenda for cooperation regarding the expansion of trade ties, agriculture, healthcare, industry, extraction of natural resources, geological exploration, transport, construction, energy, the financial sector, and the establishment of the regulatory and legal framework," he added.

"We are interested in further expanding trade ties with Afghanistan. During today’s talks, we will put forward proposals on how we might move forward in this area together. I would also like to express my special thanks to you for organizing meetings between representatives of our business communities. In fact, a full-scale Russian-Afghan business forum is taking place today, alongside our meeting," the official concluded.