Russia Keeps An Eye On Developments In Afghanistan

Russia is keeping an eye on the developments in Afghanistan, new Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov told journalists in his native city of St. Petersburg on Wednesday. According to the speaker, Russian foreign policy "has always been reasonable and logical." Russia is "both a European and Asian country having its own interests in Asia," Mironov stressed. Moscow's position on Afghanistan is "stable and clear," he said. Russia is rendering practical assistance to this country and is contributing to the political settlement in Afghanistan but Russian troops "will never be there," said the speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament.