Medvedev and Karzai will meet for talks in Astana

Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to meet with President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai and hold negotiations on the sidelines of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit, RIA Novosti reports. The leaders of two countries will discuss participation of Russia in the restoration of the Afghan economy. “It is expected that Medvedev and Karzai will exchange opinions on priority directions of development of trade-economic interaction. The will focus on implementation of large-scale joint projects aimed at restoration and modernization of the infrastructure of Afganistan,” Russian President’s Assistant Sergey Prikhodko said. Besides, Medvedev and Karzai will discuss humanitarian cooperation and expansion of interaction between Russia and Afghanistan in the framework of international organizations. Anniversary SCO summit will be held in Astana on June 14-15. The summit will review the results of SCO activities in the past 10 years. Besides, participants of the meeting will define the directions of further development of the SCO and exchange opinions on international and regional issues.