SAMARKAND, April 13. /TASS/. The Chinese authorities welcome Russia’s participation in settlement of the Afghan issue and consider Russia’s role important in promoting multisided cooperation in the respective direction, China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Thursday.
"China and Russia are good at coordinating the positions on the Afghan issue with each other. China welcomes the important role that Russia plays in promoting international and regional cooperation on Afghanistan," he told a press conference in Samarkand where the fourth meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries (Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) is taking place.
Historically Afghanistan has close ties with neighboring countries, which should consider common interests in solving the issues concerning ensuring stability and development in the region, Qin Gang noted. "The settlement of the Afghan issue requires a realistic approach, which will allow considering the key reasons [of existing problems]," he added.