Rakhmon, Putin talk Tajik-Afghan border security

KABUL (Pajhwok): Russian and Tajik presidents have exchanged views on the security situation in Afghanistan, a media report said on Saturday. During a phone call, President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan conferred with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on recent security incidents in Afghanistan.
“The two heads of state discussed the alarming situation in Afghanistan in recent time and the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border,” TASS news agency reported. The presidents underlined the importance of further boosting bilateral cooperation on security. Current issues of e international and regional Importance were discussed.
Putin and Rakhmon agreed that both countries would continue to cooperate on ensuring security on the Tajik-Afghan border. “The (two) sides had an exchange of views on the situation around Afghanistan in light of the escalating activity of terror groups in Afghanistan,” the report added.
Meanwhile, Russia has asked the global fraternity to focus on the mobilisation of humanitarian aid and other assistance to Afghanistan. The US and its allies should bear the brunt of expenditure on Afghanistan’s reconstruction, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
Addressing a news conference in Dushanbe, he said the situation in Afghanistan could not be allowed to deteriorate. Instability in the war-devastated country would be too hard for the Afghan people, who had suffered the presence of NATO for 20 years, he believed.
TASS news agency quoted Lavrov as saying his country had always stressed the need for nationwide dialogue on dealing with the situation in Afghanistan. He added Russia and China had been urging the Taliban to form an inclusive and broad-based government. “We expect our allies in Tajikistan, who have influence on northern Afghanistan, to continue helping us attain joint goals,” the minister remarked.