Medvedev to meet Afghan, Pakistani leaders in Dushanbe

DUSHANBE, September 2 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
and his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rakhmon will meet Afghan and Pakistani
leaders in Dushanbe on Friday to discuss joint fight against drug
trafficking and terrorism.
"Specific attention will be paid to the issues of Afghan settlement,
the fight against terrorist and drug threats, economic restoration and
development in Afghanistan and the region," the Kremlin press service said.
Moscow wants to engage the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in promoting
stabilization in Afghanistan and in the Afghan-Pakistani border areas.
"Drug trafficking will be a separate issue. The Russian position is
that it is necessary to fight the Afghan drug threat on a complex basis
and along the whole chain of illegal drug production and distribution,
including destruction of drug-containing crops and enhanced control of the
delivery of precursors to Afghanistan from abroad," the press service said.
The Kremlin called on Afghanistan and Pakistan to join efforts on the
basis of SCO anti-drug strategy for 2011-2016.
Trade and economic projects will be also on the agenda, including
upgraded transport infrastructure and improved energy provision to the
region, modernization of existing production facilities and construction
of new ones, promoting investment climate and increasing mutual trade.
Medvedev will also hold separate meetings with Afghan President Hamid
Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
"Russian-Afghan summit talks will be held on the background of
enhanced mutually advantageous bilateral cooperation. Deeper interaction
of both countries corresponds to sincere Russian interest in seeing
Afghanistan as a peaceful and economically independent, neutral state free
of terrorism and drug crime," the Kremlin said.
"At a meeting with Zardari both leaders will discuss the state of the
political dialogue between Russia and Pakistan as well as vital issues of
bilateral cooperation and regional problems," the press service said.
The Tajik foreign ministry said the four presidents will pay specific
attention to foreign investments into strategic regional projects mostly
related to roads and railways.
The four presidents are to issue a joint statement after the summit.