Russia and Afghanistan to step up security cooperation - Patrushev

MOSCOW, July 26 /TASS/. The Security Councils of Russia and Afghanistan will step up security cooperation, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said at consultations with Afghan president’s national security adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar. "The consultations dwelt on a wide range of issues linked to bilateral interaction in the provision of regional security in Central Asia," the Russian Security Council press service said. Other topics for discussion included legal and contractual cooperation, trade and economic ties and military-technological cooperation between Russia and Afghanistan. The Russian delegation at the consultations comprised representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ministry for Emergency Situations, the Russian Federal Security Service; the Federal Service for Military and Technological Cooperation; the Russian Energy Ministry; the Russian Ministry of Economic Development; the Ministry of Industry and Trade; employees of the Russian Security Council administration. The Afghani side was represented by representatives of the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Main security department; the Finance Ministry and the employees of the Afghan National Security Council. "Patrushev emphasized that his meeting with Atmar, the second this year, indicated that both sides were determined to step up cooperation between the Security Councils [of the two countries] for the purpose of dynamic development of Russian-Afghani bilateral ties," the Russian Security Council press service said. Read more