MOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. Western sanctions have not hampered the development of Afghanistan’s economy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"The Afghan economy continues to develop despite the harsh sanctions pressure from Western countries, which, under the pretext of protecting human rights, have severed the Islamic Emirate off from the international financial system and seized its national banking assets," he told the opening of a meeting of the Moscow-format consultations on Afghanistan at the level of special representatives and senior officials.

"The Afghan authorities reaffirmed their commitment to regional energy projects, including the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) trunk gas pipeline, implemented a tax reform, strengthened anti-corruption legislation, and revived industry."

Lavrov cited official data showing that about 170 new production facilities were launched in Afghanistan.

He said that the country has "drawn up a five-year plan for the development of the power industry," and "Afghanistan’s foreign trade with more than 100 countries around the world rose last year to $14 billion.".