New Delhi/Islamabad, Apr 7 (UNI) Russia and Pakistan on Wednesday voiced concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and said they would work to help create inclusive power structures to end the conflict in the country.
Recent reports said terrorists are gaining ground in northern and eastern Afghanistan as the May 1 deadline of US pullout from Afghanistan nears.
"We are concerned by the deterioration of the situation in the area of security in Afghanistan and by the rise in terrorist activities and march of ISIL in the north and east of the country,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after talks with his Pakistan counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
"We have agreed to further contribute to creating conditions to ensure that the conflicting sides achieve constructive solutions, which will allow them to end the civil war in Afghanistan through the agreements on forming inclusive power structures," Lavrov said at a news conference.
Lavrov also spoke about the possibility of holding another meeting of the "Expanded Troika" involving the Afghan government, the Taliban, Pakistan, China and the US.
The two sides also discussed military cooperation, with Russia offering the new hardware to the Pakistani military.
“We have confirmed that we stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment,” said Lavrov.
“This serves interests of all states of the region,” he added.
Lavrov is the first Russian foreign minister to visit Pakistan in nine years.
Indicating the warming of ties between the two countries, Qureshi said Pakistan and Russia shared "convergent positions" on several issues on multilateral agenda including peace & stability in Afghanistan.
Qureshi said he also shared with Lavrov "our perspective on larger questions of peace and security in South Asia."
The Pakistan Foreign Office said the talks between the two sides focussed on trade, economic and energy cooperation.
Lavrov said Russia expects all remaining technical issues regarding the construction of the Pakistan Stream (formerly known as North-South) gas pipeline to be agreed upon in the near future.
The 1,100-km-long pipeline from Lahore to Karachi will have the capacity to pump 12.4 billion cubic meters of gas annually.
Earlier, in an interview with Pakistan’s News International newspaper, Lavrov said that Russian companies are ready to participate in the modernization of the energy sector and the railroad system of Pakistan.
UNI SRJ RHK1907