Talks to deliver Mi-17s to Afghanistan underway: Russian envoy

Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Alexander Mantytskiy, has said the negotiations for the delivery of Mi-17 helicopters to Kabul are underway.

Briefing the reporters in Kabul on the bilateral ties between both nations, Mantytskiy said Moscow has agreed to deliver helicopters to the Afghan Army following the recent meeting between President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, reports Khaama Press.

He also maintained that the recent delivery of Mi-25 gunships to the Afghan Army by India concluded with the agreement of Russia, insisting that the equipment could only be transferred once the country of origin agrees with it.

Mantytskiy asserted that gunship helicopters were being used to counter the insurgency led by the Taliban group and ISIS loyalists in the country.

Asserting that 10,000 Ak-47 rifles were already delivered in the country to support the Afghan national security forces, besides 49 army cadets sent to Moscow for trainings in February, the Russian Ambassador hoped the agreement between Moscow and Kabul is concluded to further help strengthen the Afghan armed forces.

He revealed that at least 75 army cadets were last year sent to Russia for military trainings.