At the plenary session of the CSTO, CIS and SCO conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that radical groups intend to use Afghanistan as a stronghold for creating threats to Russia. According to him, radicals want to use Afghanistan as a kind of staging ground for moving terrorist activity both into Central Asia and into the Russian Federation.
Lavrov also noted that against the backdrop of attempts by the "Islamic State"* to undermine Kabul's efforts to stabilize the situation, Moscow will continue to provide the country with all possible humanitarian assistance. He stressed that Russia fully shares the vision according to which Afghanistan should be an independent, united and peaceful state, free from war and drugs.
Other statements:
* A terrorist organization banned in Russia.