Russia slams US official's remarks on Afghanistan

Moscow  :  The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday denounced a senior US official's claim about Russia's interference in negotiations over the Afghan issue as Washington's attempts to shift the blame for its own policy failures in the country.

On Thursday, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale accused Russia of supporting conflicts in Afghanistan, Xinhua reported.

"We regard Hale's statement as a clumsy attempt to shift responsibility to the Russian side for US own failures in Afghanistan and the lack of achievements in Washington's efforts to find a solution to the Afghan issue," a ministry statement said.

The ministry said the accusation could only cause "bewilderment" as Moscow is making consistent efforts to facilitate the intra-Afghan reconciliation process, citing the recently held second meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan. 

The meeting was held on Friday in the Russian capital with the participation of deputy foreign ministers, special representatives and observers from 11 countries including the United States.

The meeting also marked the first time that representatives of both the Afghan government and the Taliban participated, the ministry noted.