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KABUL: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said that development of a dialogue with the Taliban as the dominant internal political force of Afghanistan would serve the interests of the region.
As part of his official visit to Tajikistan and in a meeting at the Russian-Tajik University, Russia’s top diplomat said it is in the interests of the region to develop a working dialogue with Taliban, said speaking at the Russian-Tajik Slavonic University on Tuesday.
“In our view, building a working dialogue with the Taliban, who are currently the uncontested dominant domestic political force in Afghanistan, meets the interests of security and economic development of the region as well as the goals of inter-Afghan national reconciliation, to which we are constantly pushing the current authorities in Kabul,” Lavrov said.
But he denied that Russia would recognize the Taliban in Afghanistan as long as the commitments to form an inclusive government remain unfulfilled, Lavrov said.
“These obligations included the formation of an ethno-politically balanced government, stepping up measures to combat terrorism and drug trafficking, ensuring basic human rights for all peoples inhabiting Afghanistan, including the Tajiks. In our contacts with representatives of the Taliban, and they are fairly regular, we encourage them to accelerate the implementation of these globally announced targets,” the top Russian diplomat said.
