MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that western countries and even his nation’s own political partners have learned nothing after the debacle of a twenty-year war in Afghanistan.
“We see, on the one hand, that many of our partners are saying, “Yes, we were wrong, we shouldn’t have behaved like that in Afghanistan.’ However, they continue to behave like that in other parts of the globe. Regrettably, this bad Afghan example has taught them nothing,” he said at a plenary session of the VTB Capital investment forum Russia Calling! on Tuesday according to the TASS, national news agency.
“I will not mention names now, but I have heard many times from my colleagues that, yes, they overdid it, they did not take this and that into account. But the same thing continues in other regions. Including, by the way, Africa and the Middle East,” he said, adding that that is why the world community must build its policy on respect to its partners. “If we, I mean the international community in general, base our policy on these principles, we will be successful. Although, it might be a difficult process requiring patience and time. But, anyway, there is no other way to reach a lasting settlement of these or those crises and ensure development.”