Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accepted an invitation Friday to visit Afghanistan during a milestone summit with Hamid Karzai that aimed to revive the two sides' Soviet-era trade ties.
The embattled Afghan leader paid his first state visit to Russia amid political mayhem at home that saw him delay the seating of a new parliament and face renewed questions about his ability to lead the war-ravaged state.
But Karzai found warm support in Moscow during a visit in which he also held private talks in the country residence of Russia's de facto leader, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"I told the president that we expect to see Afghanistan provide for its own security and state independence -- and that the Russian government was ready to extend Afghanistan thorough support," Medvedev said after the talks.
A joint statement said "Medvedev has gratefully accepted Hamid Karzai's invitation to visit Afghanistan" but gave no date for the trip.
Karzai has waged a war of words with Washington over the timing of international troops' withdrawal and his ability to prepare a force that can take over security duties once the NATO-led presence winds down by 2014.
He said that Russia was likely to play a much broader role in preparing Afghan soldiers -- an assignment that has been largely handled by Washington -- and repairing the country's heavily damaged bridges and dams.
"We hope that Russia will be able to help transfer responsibility for security to the Afghan government and forces by the end of 2014 so that Afghanistan can determine its own fate in the future," said Karzai.
His visit came amid Russian efforts to resurrect its economic and political presence in a country that has haunted Moscow since the dying days of the Soviet state.
The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to stamp out the US-backed mujahedeen resistance but its troops were forced to beat a retreat 10 years later.
That traumatic experience prompted Russia to refuse a direct role in the current Afghan campaign.
But Moscow has allowed NATO to conduct non-military transports across its territory and further sought to boost the number of lucrative trade deals it signs with Kabul in exchange for Russia's technological know-how.
The blooming relationship has been periodically clouded by Russian misgivings over Karzai's inability to curb the flow of opium and other drugs to former Soviet lands in Central Asia and Russia.
Karzai has lashed out at a joint US-Russia drugs raid on a laboratory in eastern Afghanistan in October and pointedly refused to be drawn on the issue when asked about it during his joint appearance with Medvedev.
But a top Russian security officials said Karzai had agreed to allow Russia to take part in future drug busts.
"Such operations will continue," Federal Drug Control Service chief Viktor Ivanov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
The two presidents' meeting concluded with the signature of an economic cooperation agreement and a broader commitment from the two heads of state to foster closer diplomatic relations.
A Kremlin communique said the agreements concerned Russia's construction of hydroelectric power plants and grain storage facilities around Afghanistan.
Putin separately promised Karzai some 500 million dollars in investments should Russia's Inter RAO UES energy company be put in charge of a major Afghan power line construction project.
The state-run ITAR-TASS news agency said the two sides also discussed Russia's supply of communication equipment to Afghanistan as well as fuel and spare parts.
Russia has sent more than 80 transport helicopters to Afghanistan under a 2009 agreement with the United States.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the United States has decided to award a contract to Russia's state exporter to supply another 21 Mi-17 helicopters to the Afghan military.
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