MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Moscow and Tehran have discussed the prospects of enhancing international cooperation over Afghanistan’s post-war reconstruction, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported at the press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Wednesday.
"We proceed from the need to involve the relevant international organizations in resolving the entire spectrum of humanitarian problems. We have been witnessing serious concrete steps in this direction both from international structures and from neighboring countries. We welcome the large and significant contribution of Iran, which has sheltered millions of Afghan refugees. In this context, the prospects for enhancing regional and international cooperation to promote the post-conflict reconstruction of Afghanistan have been discussed.
Lavrov noted that Moscow and Tehran have coinciding initiatives over the reconstruction of Afghanistan. "Today we talked about how to optimally coordinate our efforts to implement them," he added.
As Russia’s top diplomat emphasized, at the meeting with his Iranian colleague it was stressed that the weight of responsibility for the situation in Afghanistan lies on the shoulders of the US and their allies.
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) launched a large-scale operation to seize control over Afghanistan after the United States announced its troop withdrawal from the country. On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani stepped down and fled the country, and the Taliban forces swept into Kabul, without encountering any resistance. On September 6, the Taliban gained full control over Afghanistan, and on September 7, the radicals announced the new interim government.