Russia and the United States have not fully used potential of their cooperation in terms of Afghanistan's economic recovery, top Russian diplomats told U.S. special envoy in Afghanistan Marc Grossman here Monday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin and special presidential envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said Moscow and Washington must enhance coordination in fighting illegal drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
They also discussed with the American diplomat the process of transferring the control over security in Afghanistan from NATO-led forces to the national army and police, Russian media reported.
According to Kabulov, Afghan authorities have not been ready to bear full responsibility for security in their country, but Washington and NATO have done "very little to build capable combat forces in Afghanistan" for the last 10 years as well.
The Russian envoy noted that about 30 percent of Afghan military and police personnel are deserting the forces every year. Besides, Afghan forces have been armed mostly with handguns with little armor and aircraft, Kabulov added.
But he said Moscow would not supply Kabul with arms.
Kabulov said Russia was ready for negotiations with Afghanistan's Taliban movement, though no direct contacts have taken place yet.
Kabulov became Russia's first special envoy to Afghanistan on Tuesday.