SCO should use its potential in Afghan settlement - Russian Foreign Ministry
SAMARKAND. Nov 10 (Interfax) - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) may play an important role in the Afghan settlement process, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said.
"We have noticed the increasing realization of the importance of the regional context in the Afghan settlement process. The potential of every organization which has proven its value, primarily, the SCO, should be used for this purpose," Pankin said at the international conference in Samarkand on Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is satisfied with the outcome of the meeting of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group which took place in Moscow on October 11, he said.
"We deem the Moscow consultations launched early this year to be the best platform for substantive negotiations on national reconciliation in Afghanistan and direct dialogue between the national government and the Taliban movement," Pankin said.