Putin urges unity to address Afghan challenges

The global community must join efforts to resolve existing problems in Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the plenary session of the sixth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"It is necessary to unite to effectively resist terrorism, drug-trafficking, organised crime ... These are common threats. And since they are common, we can only effectively resist them together," Putin said at the session on Friday.

The President called the US mission in Afghanistan catastrophic, considering the resources and time spent in the region.

He said that when considering all those that were left abandoned in Afghanistan and had previously worked for the United States and its allies, the current situation could even be labelled as a "humanitarian disaster."


Putin stressed that it is important that the US takes responsibility and learns from its past mistakes by making real changes.

While the US admits that mistakes were made in Afghanistan, the same policies are continuing in relation to other countries, Putin said, adding that through its sanctions policy, Washington is imposing its own standards on others.

Commenting on recent statements made by US officials, the President urged Washington to focus on existing threats that have been created following its 20-year mission in Afghanistan rather than shift focus to countering Russia or China.


The sixth EEF kicked off on Thursday and ends on Saturday in the Russian city of Vladivostok in both online and offline formats.

The main theme of this year's event is "The Opportunities for the Far East in a World under Transformation - IANS