NEW DELHI. June 16 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia intends to initiate an international conference on Afghanistan for this autumn, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has said.
"Taking into account the complex situation in Afghanistan, Russia is suggesting that a conference on Afghanistan be held in September, and it will promote this initiative at the UN," Ivanov said at a press briefing in Delhi on Monday.
Ivanov also said he had reached an agreement with the Indian leadership that "a bilateral working group on fighting international terrorism be set up and that its first meeting be held later this year."
Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha in turn said that the two agreed during the negotiations that the situation in Afghanistan should be permanently monitored in order to curb the revival of religious extremism there.
Ivanov noted that "it is crucial not to allow Afghanistan to be turned into an arena of confrontation between different countries or groups of countries.
"The international community must cooperate with the transitional Afghan administration," he said.