Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends meeting that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan in Samarkand on April 13, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

MOSCOW — Moscow is concerned by attempts made by extra-regional players to intensify their activities in Afghanistan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

A united effort between regional countries and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would only be possible if the NATO bloc "fully acknowledged its responsibility for the devastating outcome of its 20-year military presence in Afghanistan, which had ended in a complete fiasco," Lavrov said in a written message to the participants of the fifth meeting of the Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan in Russia's Kazan.

Lavrov said that the return of US and NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan and neighboring states was "unacceptable" under any circumstances

"Western countries, which have inflicted irreparable damage on the Afghan people, must bear the main burden of the country's post-conflict reconstruction," Lavrov said, according to a statement published by the foreign ministry.

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He pointed out that in this context, Washington's decision to freeze Afghan bank reserves is "counterproductive," "only aggravates the current situation" and further complicates the well-being of the Afghan population.

Lavrov said that the return of US and NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan and neighboring states was "unacceptable" under any circumstances.

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The Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan were launched in 2017 on the basis of the six-party mechanism for consultations among representatives from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India.