The Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Alexander Mantytskiy reaffirmed Moscow’s support to equip the Afghan national security forces.
During a meeting with the National Security Adviser Hanif Atmar, the Russian envoy said Moscow supports the Afghan government’s commitment in fight against terrorism and peace process.
Insisting on regional cooperation in fight against terrorism, Atmar said Moscow’s support to Afghan forces could have a positive impact on the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.
Atmar further added that the Afghan government will participate in the upcoming Islamic conference with a clear agenda and message.
The remarks by Mantytskiy to support the Afghan forces comes as the Afghan forces received the first batch of military equipment from Russia last month, consisting of 10,000 Ak-47 assault rifles and ammunition.
The Russian Foreign Ministry later reaffirmed continued support to train and equip the Afghan forces.
“We reaffirm our readiness to continue cooperation with Afghanistan in fighting against terrorism and the drug threat both on the bilateral basis and in cooperation with foreign partners and international organizations,” a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said.
The Afghan government has stepped up efforts to reach out to the regional countries in a bid to attract support to the Afghan national security forces.
Meanwhile, Russia is looking to step in to support the Afghan government and security forces amid concerns that the terror groups, particularly the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) loyalists, are trying to establish safe havens in the country, a move that could endanger the Central Asian countries.http://www.khaama.com/russian-ambassador-reaffirms-moscows-support-to-equip-the-afghan-forces-0380
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