KABUL - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has distanced itself from the Afghan ambassador’s remarks on Tajik and Russian mafia’s role in production of drugs in Afghanistan.
Afghan Ambassador to Russia Qayyum Kochai recently told a US-based television channel that mafia groups in Tajikistan and Russia had hand in the growing production of drugs in the war-torn country.
Subsequently, the foreign ministry of Tajikistan summoned the ambassador and asked the Afghan government to investigate Kochi’s remarks.
In a statement, the foreign ministry in Kabul acknowledged on Saturday the ambassadorial remarks regarding some Central Asian States, particularly Tajikistan, had caused panic among officials of these countries.
The statement said such remarks never demonstrated the policy and stance of the Afghan government; instead they represented his personal viewpoint. The Afghan government was shocked by the remarks, it added.
The ministry hailed Tajikistan as Afghanistan best neighbour, saying the two countries had been enjoying good relations over the years. They had a common culture, history and language and their relations were based on mutual respect, it concluded. (Pajhwok)