Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 13 April, in Samarkand, on the sidelines of the Fourth Ministerial Conference of the neighboring countries of Afghanistan, the second informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the countries of the regional "quartet" - Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan, dedicated to the Afghan problem, was held. 

The event was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

The meeting made it possible in a confidential atmosphere to frankly discuss the situation in Afghanistan with an emphasis on security aspects, strengthening the coordination of regional efforts to combat the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking emanating from Afghan territory.

An agreement was reached to continue building a unified consolidated regional approach to Afghan affairs, as well as interaction with the current government of Afghanistan, including with the aim of maintaining domestic political stability and preventing a humanitarian crisis in this country.

The participants agreed that the main responsibility for the disastrous state of affairs in Afghanistan lies with the United States and its allies in connection with the failure of their 20-year experiment in that country. The parties noted the unacceptability of deploying US-NATO military infrastructure facilities in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.

Following the meeting, a joint statement was adopted.