The United States is ready to continue dialogue with Russia on Afghanistan-related issues, Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, said Monday.

Telling journalists about his recent trip to Moscow during which he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other officials, Holbrooke said: "It was a very productive opening meeting, and we agreed we will continue the dialogue."

"I met with Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, my old counterpart at the United Nations and a close friend. I met with members of the Ministry of Defense and reassured them that the United States does not seek a permanent NATO presence in Afghanistan," he said.

Holbrooke said the U.S. and Russia have similar views on the situation in Afghanistan.

"We put forward the simple proposition that Russia and the United States, like all the countries in the neighborhood, have a common strategic symmetry, that stability is something that's important to all the neighbors and near neighbors," he said.

WASHINGTON, November 23 (RIA Novosti)