Kabul to host international meeting in mid-June

KABUL’s future  in mid-June, Russia’s acting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Addressing a meeting of foreign ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states in Beijing, he said: “We should actively participate in all international discussions on Afghanistan-related problems.”

Created in 2001, the SCO includes Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Pakistan, India, Iran and Mongolia have observer status while Turkmenistan and Afghanistan attend its gatherings as guest nations.

Their participation in the June 14 meeting would help SCO members coordinate their positions and demonstrate their willingness to contribute to international efforts for Afghanistan’s political and economic revival, Lavrov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti news agency

A huge quantity of heroin produced in Afghanistan is smuggled into Russia via Central Asian states, killing an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Russians annually.

PAN Monitor/mud

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