Hamid Karzai wants Afghanistan’s strategic ties with Russia, other neighboring countries

Hamid Karzai wants Afghanistan’s strategic ties with Russia, other neighboring countries

KABUL - The former Afghan President Hamid Karzai says Russia should enter into a dialogue with the United States in a bid to help resolve the ongoing violence in the country.

In an interview with the State-owned Sputnik TV, Karzai said we want the widest possible cooperation with Russia in the political, economic and diplomatic fields; this cooperation is in our best interest and will contribute to stability in our country.

Karzai further added that Afghanistan  want Russia to enter into a dialogue with the United States and other countries on the issue of Afghanistan in order to see what is really happening in Afghanistan and how they can help.

He also added that the United States should reconsider its policy towards Afghanistan so that Afghanistan is no longer seen as an object of rivalry.

According to Karzai, Afghanistan, an independent sovereign state, cannot build its relations based on US strategic interests in the region. We must build up relations with Russia and other neighboring countries on a bilateral and mutually beneficial basis, based on our interests and the interests of these countries.

Karzai believes the American strategy in Afghanistan has been a failure but in response to question regarding the Russian military intervention in Afghanistan, Karzai said had brought about a dramatic change in the situation in Syria but there is no need for a military operation by Russia.

“We do not want this. Neither do we want the Americans to continue their military operations, endangering our cities and villages. We want the cooperation with the US to be aimed only at combating terrorism and not to damage our positions in the region and our relations with our neighbors. Afghanistan should be a place for cooperation, rather than regional rivalry,” he added.