Russia and Afghanistan sign military cooperation agreement

Russia and Afghanistan have signed a military-technical cooperation agreement, according to Russian media reports.

The document was concluded on May 27 during the International Security Forum following talks between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob, Izvestia reported.

“Cooperation with Russia is important for us. Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing historical relations, and we want to further develop this direction. We have expanded bilateral relations,” Yaqoob said.

Shoigu, in turn, said Western countries should unfreeze Afghan assets and take responsibility for post-conflict reconstruction following years of foreign military presence in the country.

He also stated that Russia considers the deployment of Western military infrastructure in Afghanistan unacceptable and stressed the need for post-conflict rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure.