MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has denied Kabul's allegations that Moscow is questioning Afghanistan's sovereignty by refusing to assign the leading role to the Afghan government at Moscow Format talks.
"Russia provides a venue for talks between the conflicting Afghan sides, it is not trying to replace them at the talks," ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Friday.
"If representatives of the Afghan authorities wonder who's questioning the sovereignty of their country, I believe they should not look for answers in the territory of the Russian Federation but take a glance at another continent," she said.
She was commenting on remarks made by Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib at the second Moscow consultations on Afghanistan on November 9. He said that Russia was questioning Afghanistan's sovereignty and that Afghanistan attended the meeting as a guest.
According to Zakharova, Russia, as the organizer of the meeting, provided the Kabul delegation "with the same rights as other participants."