KABUL: The Afghan and Russian officials are expected to hold talks on host of issues including counter-terrorism and improvement of bilateral ties between Kabul and Moscow. National Security Council spokesman Tawab Ghorzang said “Mohammad Haneef Atmar, National Security Adviser of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will leave Kabul for Moscow, the capital of Russian Federation for a 3 day official ...

MOSCOW: Russian authorities have extended US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden’s Russian residency permit by three years, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Snowden’s residence permit has been extended “until 2020”, said ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. She had previously indicated on Facebook that Snowden’s permit had been extended by two years, using a phrase that can be ambiguous in Russian. Snowden’s ...

KABUL: The number of terrorist attacks is on the rise in Afghanistan, and security situation in Afghanistan remained a challenging, Russian officials said. “We urge the warring parties in Afghanistan, primarily the leaders of the Taliban movement, to renounce violence and to take urgent action to launch intra-Afghan dialogue,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told newsmen in Moscow. Hinting ...

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would not expel any Americans in response to Washington turfing out dozens of Russian diplomats over alleged election interference. The Kremlin strongman’s shock decision came after Russia’s foreign ministry asked him to send home 35 US diplomats in a tit-for-tat retaliation for the expulsion of the same number of its staff by ...

KABUL: Russian authorities are busy in preparations to host its arch-rival in the Cold War era Pakistan and China to discuss security situation in Afghanistan and confer on regional stability and peace, Pakistani foreign ministry confirmed. Spokesman for the ministry, Nafees Zakaria, confirmed the other day that Pakistani and Chinese officials would attend the trilateral talks on December 27 in ...

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin today said there was “nothing unusual” about US President- elect Donald Trump’s call to boost America’s nuclear capability. Read More: Vladimir Putin orders security reinforcement after envoy’s assassination “As concerns the new president-elect of the United States Mr Trump, there is nothing new here. During his election campaign he spoke about the necessity of strengthening the ...

Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey, speaks at a photo exhibition in Ankara. -AP A man gestures near to the body of a man at a photo gallery in Ankara. -AP A Turkish policeman crying “Aleppo” and “revenge” shot dead Russia’s ambassador to Turkey at an art exhibition in Ankara on Monday, in what Moscow said was a “terrorist ...

The Russian forces have delivered first airstrikes to target the Islamic State and other militant groups using the Hamdan Airfield in Iran, it has been reported. Iran’s Head of National Security Council has confirmed that the country has allowed Russia to use the airbase since Moscow and Tehran cooperation in Syria is strategic. The Russian forces used the long-range Tu-22M3 ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their press conference in Konstantinovsky Palace outside Saint Petersburg. -AFP SAINT PETERSBURG: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday pledged to reinvigorate ties after their first meeting since Ankara shot down a Russian warplane last November. Erdogan’s visit to Putin’s hometown ...

KABUL: The Office of the National Security Adviser of Afghanistan has said Russia is considering a request by the government of Afghanistan to equip the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). NSC spokesman Tawab Ghorzang said Afghanistan and Russia are on the same page to increase the capabilities of the Afghan forces who are on the front line fighting ...