Hamid Karzai Visits Moscow

Hamid Karzai, the leader of the interim government of Afghanistan, is traveling to Moscow today to meet and discuss with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, about Russia's role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. During his two-day stay in Russia, Karzai will also discuss the issue of drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Russia and its impact on the country with Russian leaders. Under the Taliban regime, Russia was used as a route for Afghan drug trafficking to Europe. Reports indicate that Moscow wants to ensure that drug trafficking does not become a major problem in the new Afghan government. It has not yet been disclosed how much assistance Russia, which is in urgent need of liquidity, will provide for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Russia has long-term interests in Afghanistan, as three former Soviet republics—Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan—share borders with Afghanistan. Moscow fears that if extremist Islamism in Afghanistan is not controlled, it could infiltrate into the Central Asian republics and eventually into Russia. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to support the communist government led by Babrak Karmal but withdrew its forces ten years later after a humiliating defeat.