(all quotes are transcribed from the original English)
MOSCOW. Nov 3 (Interfax) - NATO is interested in expanding Afghan transit agreement with Russia, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said.
"We are currently discussing ways to broaden both the current transit agreement (to include for example the return of goods from Afghanistan), as well as counter-narcotics training," Rasmussen told Interfax in an interview.
NATO is grateful to Russia for its contribution to the process of stabilizing Afghanistan, he said. "Our goals are, after all, the same: never again to allow Afghanistan to become a haven for terrorists and to help the Afghan government to provide for its own security, including by fighting the poppy trade," Rasmussen said.
"To meet these goals we have been training together with Russia counter-narcotics experts from Afghanistan and neighboring countries. Allies have used the railway transit arrangements offered by Russia to move supplies to [International Security Assistance Force] ISAF via Russian territory, and we are grateful for that," he said.
Rasmussen also said that he proposed last year that "Russia considers providing helicopters to Afghan forces and that we develop a package of maintenance training and spare parts assistance to go with it."
"I am glad to say that talks are taking place to define such a package and how we could finance that. I am optimistic that agreement will be reached, but it is too early to speak about the details of the training offer," he said.
The full text of the interview will appear at www.interfax.ru and www.interfax.com