Russia welcomes holding of presidential polls in Afghanistan

Russia welcomes the idea of holding of presidential elections in Afghanistan in April 2014. “Moscow has welcomed a statement made by the independent election commission of Afghanistan that the presidential election and elections of deputies to provincial councils in Afghanistan have been scheduled for April 5, 2014,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. “Russia realizes that preparations for the elections will take place in complex conditions and that a number of problems will have to be solved to make the elections successful. Additional complications are linked to the fact that a considerable part of international military contingents that are now responsible for guarding security in Afghanistan will have been withdrawn from the country by that time,” the Russian Foreign Ministry went on to say. “We support the state of mind shown by the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and wish it success in organizing the election process,” the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized.