On the sidelines of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Samarkand today hosted the second informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries of the regional Quartet - China, Russia, Iran and Pakistan, dedicated to the Afghan problem.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the meeting allowed to “frankly discuss the situation in Afghanistan with an emphasis on security aspects, enhancing coordination of regional efforts to combat the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking from Afghan territory”.
An agreement was reached to continue building a single consolidated regional approach to Afghan affairs, as well as cooperation with the current government of Afghanistan, including with the aim of maintaining internal political stability and preventing a humanitarian crisis in this country.
Reportedly, the parties unanimously agreed that the major responsibility for the disastrous state of affairs in Afghanistan lies with the United States and its allies due to the failure of their 20-year experiment in this country. The parties noted the unacceptability of the deployment of US-NATO military infrastructure facilities in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.
Joint statement was adopted following the meeting.
