Putin will discuss boosting bilateral trade with Afghan president on July 10

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai will discuss increasing bilateral trade and other issues at a meeting in Ufa on July 10, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told journalists on Monday. It will be Putin’s first meeting with Ahmadzai since he won the presidential election in Afghanistan in September 2014, Ushakov said. "It is expected that the prospects for expanding bilateral trade and economic ties will be discussed," the presidential aide continued, adding that trade turnover between the two countries stood at $970 million in 2014, with $953 being the Russian export. "Consultations are also underway on our possible participation in the construction of Sarobi-2 hydroelectric power station," Ushakov noted. Among other topics on the agenda are development of road and railway infrastructure and "possible inclusion of Russian companies [Inter RAO UES] in the CASA-1000 project which envisages creating a system of delivering electricity from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan," Ushakov continued. Considering the complicated security situation in Afghanistan, Russia renders multifaceted assistance in training and equipping Afghan security forces and supplying military equipment, including helicopters, the presidential aide reminded. Read more