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China urges Russia, Iran, Pakistan to coordinate efforts on Afghanistan — Foreign Ministry

The four countries should enhance communication and coordination, act unanimously, cause positive influence and play a constructive role in stabilizing Afghanistan, Wang Yi said

BEIJING, September 17. /TASS/. China is prepared to enhance coordination with Russia, Iran and Pakistan to play a constructive role in preventing chaos, resisting terrorism and restoring peace in Afghanistan, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Pakistan on the sidelines of the SCO and CSTO summits in Dushanbe.

"The four countries should enhance communication and coordination, act unanimously, cause positive influence and play a constructive role in stabilizing Afghanistan," the Chinese Foreign Ministry quotes Wang as saying. "China is prepared to strengthen coordination with Russia, Iran and Pakistan and other countries of the region to play a constructive role in preventing chaos, maintaining stability, resisting terrorism and violence and also restoring peace to Afghanistan and establishing a lasting peace in the region."

He stressed the importance of providing assistance to Afghanistan in getting integrated with the regional cooperation agenda.

"In the long term we can help Afghanistan to gradually develop its potential and get integrated into regional economic cooperation, eradicate poverty and achieve economic development," Wang added.

The Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale operation for control of Afghanistan after the United States declared its troop pullout. On August 15, Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and left the country. The Taliban entered the capital Kabul without encountering any resistance. In September, they said the whole territory of the county was under their control and formed an interim government. All seats on the new Cabinet were taken by the movement’s members, mostly representatives of the country’s largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns.