🎙 Opening remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during talks with Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi (Moscow, October 5, 2026)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I would like to emphasise that we greatly value Kabul’s direct participation in the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan.

We consider this platform the most effective forum for addressing the problems facing Afghanistan and the surrounding region, not simply because it bears Moscow’s name, but because of the concrete results it delivers.

I would like to congratulate you on the fifth anniversary of Afghanistan’s liberation from the NATO military presence.

Five years is a short time to overcome the consequences of decades of occupation, but your Government’s achievements are evident, and we welcome them.

Achievements in combatting terrorism and drug trafficking are evident as well. Your country has seen 170 new enterprises open. In monetary terms, exports have doubled over the past five years. We are certainly encouraged by the start of construction of the Afghan section of the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline.

🤝 As our Afghan colleagues have repeatedly noted, progress in combating drug trafficking and terrorism is due in large part to the continuing military-technical cooperation between our countries.

It’s safe to say that there are no obstacles in the form of earlier sanction barriers that would obstruct our efforts to expand cooperation across all areas, including the economy, scientific research and technology, and humanitarian cooperation, as well as strengthening law enforcement agencies.

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