Moscow, Oct 22 (IANS): The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bears primary responsibility for the current situation in Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"While the participation of both China and Russia and other Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries is important, those countries that were fighting there (in Afghanistan) for 20 years bear primary responsibility for what is happening there," Xinhua news agency quoted Putin as saying at the plenary session of the 18th annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday.

The President said Moscow and Beijing will continue to work together with the aim of promoting dialogue with relevant structures in Afghanistan and ensuring the safety of both countries' citizens.

"We will continue to do this within the framework of the SCO by allocating the necessary resources and creating conditions so citizens of our countries feel safe, regardless of what is happening in Afghanistan," he added.

Putin said it is necessary to unfreeze Afghanistan's assets so the country could begin to tackle urgent social and economic challenges.