Moscow supports the plan of action outlined by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his inauguration speech, the Russian foreign minister said on Thursday.
Karzai was inaugurated earlier in the day in the presidential palace. The ceremony was attended by senior diplomats from the U.K., France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Turkey, Sweden, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, India, the U.A.E., and the U.S.
Sergei Lavrov, who met with Karzai ahead of the ceremony, said the inauguration was not a pure formality but involved a substantive conversation about the country's future.
"It seems to me that my view is shared by my colleagues [U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner]," he said, adding that "they share my assessment" of President Karzai's speech.
"We are all ready to back the lines of action that have been formulated by the president of Afghanistan."
He said Karzai had prioritized national accord and ways of bringing about "a situation that would enable the Afghans to take their fate into their own hands as soon as possible."
Lavrov conveyed to Karzai congratulations from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and said Russia would continue rendering economic and moral support to Afghanistan and its government.
Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, international troops at NATO-led ISAF military bases in Kabul and its outskirts were put on high alert.
Security was tightened at the offices of international organizations and missions working in Kabul, while all international staff were advised to stay indoors.
Karzai was declared the winner of Afghanistan's presidential elections on November 2 when officials scrapped the second round of voting following the withdrawal of his opponent, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti)
