Top Russian, Pakistani security officials discuss situation in Afghanistan

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Pakistani National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf held bilateral consultations on security issues and discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday in Moscow, local media reported citing the Russian Security Council.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Pakistani National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf held bilateral consultations on security issues and discussed the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday in Moscow, local media reported citing the Russian Security Council. "The parties exchanged views on regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan," Sputnik news agency said citing a statement.

According to the statement, Patrushev and Yusuf also discussed issues of bilateral cooperation between law enforcement bodies, intelligence agencies and military departments, placing special focus on issues of information security and the drug trade, as well as trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. Concluding the consultations, Patrushev emphasized the dynamic nature of ties between Moscow and Islamabad, the effectiveness of regular top-level political dialogue, and interactions within the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Sputnik reported.

Afghanistan is facing a severe humanitarian crisis. A combination of a suspension of foreign aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and international sanctions on the Taliban, have plunged a country already suffering from high poverty levels into a full-blown economic crisis, Amnesty International said in a statement. This comes as 22.8 million people are facing acute food insecurity and hunger, while the World Food Programme estimates that at least a million children are already suffering from acute malnutrition. According to the UN, more than USD 200 million of humanitarian aid a month is needed to avert disaster. (ANI)

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