ST. PETERSBURG. June 5 (Interfax) - Russia should normalize relations with the Taliban government (banned in Russia) in Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
"It's necessary to build relations with the Taliban government. And on the whole, we are in touch with them and will move ahead. After all, you have to somehow arrange relations with a neighboring country, especially considering that Uzbekistan has lengthy borders with Afghanistan, and it's necessary to ensure security and develop logistics," Putin said at a meeting with top managers of foreign news agencies, when replying a question from an Uzbek journalist concerning the situation in Afghanistan.