MOSCOW. July 29 (Interfax-AVN) - The main purpose of a planned Russian- Tajik-Afghan-Pakistani summit on Thursday are "contacts and political dialogue between the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, so that they speak to each other directly and not through mediators," a senior Kremlin aide said.
The presidents of the four countries, who will meet in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, will discuss the situation in Afghanistan and proposed measures against terrorism and drug trafficking, Sergei Prikhodko, an aide to President Dmitry Medvedev, told reporters on Wednesday.
"No large-scale tasks are being set for this meeting, no grand breakthroughs are being planned," Prikhodko said.
"The main purpose are contacts and political dialogue between the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan, so that they can speak to each other directly and not through mediators," he said.
"The situation in Afghanistan cannot be considered in isolation from that in Pakistan," Prikhodko said.
"We have said this repeatedly, including to our U.S. colleagues. And this logic is coming home to many of our foreign partners," the aide said.
The four leaders will issue a statement at the meeting to express support for international efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan and willingness to continue to take joint anti-terrorism action, Prikhodko said.
Moscow "unambiguously supports the efforts of the international community to stabilize the situation in [Afghanistan] and has already made some practical moves to this end, including signing agreements with participant states of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan on the transit of non-military and military cargo through Russian territory," he said.
"For historical reasons, we are not going to take part in any military efforts in Afghanistan, but we are willing to help restore the social and economic sphere of Afghanistan and build up our economic ties with it," Prikhodko said.
Russia "stands for the closest possible international coordination in fighting terrorism and in seeking to cut short the activities of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in that region," he said.
Russia "will take part in restoration work anywhere in Afghanistan where we have the resources to and in maintaining the transit of non- military cargo there," Prikhodko said.