Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, said on Thursday that both his country and Uzbekistan want to develop closer relations with Afghanistan.

After meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent, he made his comments.

"We have a very close position with our Uzbek friends regarding the need to recognize the current realities in Afghanistan and work with the current leadership based on these realities," Lavrov said.

Speaking about the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit (SCO) in which foreign ministers from various nations will meet in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Lavrov said that there was a "queue" of states lining up "wishing to join as full members of the SCO or as observers and dialogue partners."

"The agenda of the (SCO) summit in Samarkand looks very solid and eventful. It is symbolic, that a kind of queue is forming for the Samarkand summit of those wishing to join as full members of the SCO or as observers and dialogue partners. Of course, in the context of all our discussions, Afghanistan occupies a special place."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said the efforts of Russia within the framework of the Moscow format, the efforts of the People's of China, which regularly holds meetings of Afghanistan's neighbours, are all complementary work.

"Today we stated that these efforts (of Uzbekistan), the efforts of the Russian Federation within the framework of the so-called Moscow format, the efforts of the People's Republic of China, which regularly holds meetings of Afghanistan's neighbours, are all complementary work. With each such event, we take several steps forward. We have a very close position with our Uzbek friends regarding the need to recognize the current realities in Afghanistan and work with the current leadership based on these realities."