MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Moscow will continue providing assistance to Afghanistan’s army and security forces in the fight against terrorism, Russian Foreign Minister said at a press conference following Wednesday’s talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

"We are providing equipment to Afghanistan’s army and security forces and will continue to do it. They are currently unable to eradicate the terrorist threat on their own so these efforts need to continue," Lavrov pointed out.

He noted that the fight against terrorism should be free from double standards, particularly in a situation when the Islamic State (IS) terror group (outlawed in Russia) sought to get a foothold in various countries, including Afghanistan. "The Islamic State is spreading to other countries, including Afghanistan, its members are trying to get a foothold in the country’s north in order to expand their activities to Central Asia," the Russian top diplomat noted. "Alarming reports keep coming in, which show that some of our Western colleagues have double standards about this terrorist group banned by the UN Security Council, trying to use it to achieve their own geopolitical goals in Afghanistan," Lavrov added.

According to him, Russia and India have similar views on the Afghan issue. "Today, we agreed to continue close coordination on the matter," the Russian foreign minister emphasized.