MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2021) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, adding that the top diplomat expressed concerns over the situation in northern Afghanistan during the discussion.
Lavrov met with Ghani on the sidelines of the Central and South Asia summit in Tashkent.
"The minister expressed concern about the aggravation of the situation in the northern provinces of Afghanistan, directly bordering the Central Asian countries," the ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov and Ghani also talked about the military and political situation in Afghanistan, as well as perspectives of the national reconciliation process.
"The Russian side stressed the need for the earliest possible launch of meaningful intra-Afghan negotiations in order to end the long-term armed conflict and stabilize the situation in that country," the ministry added.
