Dmitry Mezentsev: There can be no quiet solution to Afghan issue

There can be no quick solution to the Afghan issue, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Dmitry Mezentsev said. In an interview with ITAR-TASS and Rossiiskaya Gazeta on Thursday, September 12, Mezentsev recalled that a year ago Afghanistan had acquired the status of observer in the SCO. He noted that a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan and the upcoming withdrawal of international coalition troops from that country in 2014 were the factors that drew the attention of the SCO member states. “There can be no ‘linear’ and quick solution to the Afghan issue. There is such a ‘block’ of problems that any one player in the international arena can hardly resolve them in a short period of time. This is why we underline the coordinating role of the United Nations in this process. Afghanistan can become prosperous and peaceful only with the leading and consistent support of the U.N. and its institutions,” Mezentsev said.