Russia supports US operations in Afghanistan and is ready to contribute to stabilising the country, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published Monday during his visit to Kabul.
Lavrov however criticised “indiscriminate” Western air raids in the war-torn country in comments published in an Afghan government newspaper, a transcript of which was distributed by the foreign ministry in Moscow.
“At this stage the presence in Afghanistan of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), uniting basically the US military contingent and NATO allies, is a factor restraining terrorism and in this regard is in Afghanistan”s interests,” Lavrov said according to the transcript.
“On this basis Russia decided to allow the use of its territory for over-land transit of non-military supplies to ISAF,” he said.
Earlier this month, Russia allowed a first shipment of US equipment bound for Afghanistan to cross its territory in support of Western operations here.
The minister visited Afghanistan 20 years after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union following a bitter resistance to its 10-year occupation which left about 1.5 million people dead and many more in exile.
He added that “together with the United States, we are examining the possibility of carrying out in Afghanistan projects in the energy and transport sphere.”
