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President Putin said that the 15th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was a good reason to discuss a wide range of issues related to former army officers and soldiers who served in Afghanistan.

Mr Putin stressed that those who served in Afghanistan carried out their military duty with honour and had a right to be treated correspondingly by society and the state.

This was the President’s second meeting with former servicemen in Afghanistan. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 15th anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Mr Putin said that Russia needed people who could overcome difficulties and solve the hardest problems.