Russia launches Society on Friendship & Cooperation in Afghanistan

Our special correspondent has quoted Yuri Krupnov, a Russian politician and social activists presiding over the newly-established Russian-Afghan society, as saying that Russia should take more interest in Afghan affairs to secure peace and stability in the region. "No stability means further drugs trafficking,” he pointed out.

"We can’t close our eyes on what’s going on out there anymore,” Mr. Krupnov said. "We need to cooperate actively with Afghanistan, with its elites, to change the situation on the ground,” he added.

"The society has been founded to forge a friendship with Afghanistan and, on the other hand, to tackle the problems faced by over a hundred of Afghanis, who have become Russian citizens and who are, in effect, political migrants,” Svetlana Andreyeva quoted Mr. Krupnov as saying.

The chairman of the cooperation society underscored that the NATO pullout must leave the country a stable state.

"We have our own recipe for the nation’s stability,” he said, lisiting Russian know-hows, Russian technology, Russian staff and NATO/Western funding.

Ghulama Mohammad Jalala, President of the Center for Afghan Diasporas, called the society "a tangible bridge between Russia and Afghanistan.”

"We are ready to launch joint humanitarian projects and business, for instance, to found a university, schools and hospitals in Afghanistan,” she said.

Ms. Jalala warned that certain international powers were interested in Afghan drug production and added that putting an end to this illegal activity was a real challenge. 

The official launch of the cooperation society was also marked by a presentation of Leo Tolstoy’s "War and Peace” novel in Pashto, Afghanistan’s native language.

Talking on the book, Vice President Bashardost M. Bashar said: "We know what a war is and what is peace, but we can’t make our voice heard.”

"Such masterpieces must inspire the young to write their own life stories,” Mr. Bashar added. 

Voice of Russia