Medvedev, Abdullah Meet In Astana

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah held talks on the sidelines of a gathering of prime ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, on December 15.

Abdullah said Russia had provided huge support to Afghanistan's people and expressed hopes that Kabul-Moscow ties will continue to develop.

Medvedev wished success to Abdullah, who became Afghanistan’s prime minister earlier this year.

In the presidential election earlier this year, Abdullah gained 45 percent of votes.

A dispute broke out that lasted several months Abdullah and rival candidate Ashraf Ghani reached an agreement that saw Abdullah concede defeat and occupy the post of the head official of the executive power of Afghanistan - essentially the post of a prime minister.

Afghanistan, along with India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are observer-states in the SCO, while China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are full members of the organization.

Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax