07 May 2004 08:30
Russian, Afghan foreign ministers to discuss ways of stepping up cooperation
Moscow, 7 May: The settlement of Afghanistan's debt to Russia will be one of the issues to be discussed by
Afghan Foreign Minister [Dr] Abdollah Abdollah and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow today. Dr Abdollah
arrived in Moscow yesterday [6 May] on a two-day working visit.
The two ministers plan "to discuss new steps to build up bilateral cooperation", the Russian Foreign
Ministry has told ITAR-TASS.
"Afghanistan's huge debt to Russia is an obstacle in the development of our economic cooperation. Russia is
ready to resolve this problem and is conducting negotiations with Afghanistan [to this effect]," Foreign Ministry
spokesman Aleksandr Yakovenko said. [Passage omitted: earlier covered statements.]
Cooperation in the oil and gas sector will also be discussed at the meeting. "Moscow is ready to take part in
developing deposits in the north of Afghanistan and to increase gas supplies to [Afghan] heat and power plants," he
said.
The two sides are also to focus on the problem of drug trafficking. [Passage omitted: earlier covered
statements.]
An official opening of the Afghan embassy's new building will take place in Moscow today.
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
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