Russian President Vladimir Putin with visiting German ChancellorAngela Merkel in Moscow today. Photo source: kremlin.ru
Moscow/Beijing: The turmoil in Afghanistan, and the ever growing proximity between Moscow and Beijing, have now prompted the West turning to Russia for a solution to the crisis in the ravaged country now under the control of the Taliban.
While French President Emmanuel Macron today called up Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the situation in Kabul, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is already in Moscow to discuss Afghanistan among other issues with Putin.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would be visiting to Italy between August 26 – 27, 2021, where he would also meet Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to discuss developments in Ukraine and Afghanistan, settlements in Libya and Syria, and the state of affairs in the Mediterranean region.
It is significant to note that Germany is Russia’s second trade and economic partner after China. Merkel told Putin today that both had “much to discuss, including bilateral relations and many issues on the international agenda” that included Libya, as well as Afghanistan.
During their telephonic conversation today, both Putin and Macron noted the importance of ensuring the safety of civilians and addressing pressing humanitarian challenges, and expressed a willingness to help establish peace and stability in Afghanistan through cooperation, including within the framework of the UN Security Council and the G20. Incidentally, yesterday, Macron had also had a telephonic conversation with USA President Joe Biden, where in both lauded the tireless efforts of their personnel working closely together in Kabul on the evacuation of their citizens.
The Russian Embassy in Kabul, including its consular department, continues to operate as usual, and Russia said today that working relations were being established with the new authorities, primarily, in order to ensure the Russian citizens’ safety, as well as the smooth functioning of its foreign mission.
Moscow stated it believed it was too early to make any predictions about future trade and economic relations between Russia and Afghanistan under the new regime. However, there was no reason to believe that they will not receive a boost after the state bodies resume normal operations and calm was restored in Afghan society.
Although Russia today expressed its willingness to offer its civil aviation services to evacuate Afghan citizens to prevent an aggravation of humanitarian problems in Afghanistan, it made it clear that the Taliban’s annexation of power was an “undeniable fact, a reality that the international community should certainly be mindful of when building relations with Afghanistan”.
While holding ousted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who fled the country and was recently found in the United Arab Emirates, “undoubtedly responsible” for what happened in Afghanistan, Russia commended the Taliban for actively getting to grips with “restoring order, and showing commitment to establishing a dialogue with influential Afghan political leaders, in particular, former IRA President Hamid Karzai, about the future state form of government”.
Russia claimed the Taliban was “willing to accommodate the interests of the citizens, including the rights of women”. It though acknowledged that the central province of Panjshir where Afghan Tajiks led by former vice-president Amrullah Saleh and Ahmad Shah Massoud’s son formed armed resistance remains outside the Taliban’s control. Saleh in a tweet yesterday had claimed he was the acting president of Afghanistan since 17 August 2021 after the President fled the country.
In the Afghan crisis, Russia and China have been on the same page. The Chinese too had earlier expressed the similar views as Russia’s about the Taliban and yesterday Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying had said that the Afghan Taliban could contain all kinds of terrorist and criminal acts and ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan.
On the issue of evacuation of Afghans, Chunying today said in Beijing that under the current circumstances, the top priority for the international community is to help and encourage different factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan to strengthen solidarity, find an open and inclusive political framework that is accepted by the Afghan people and is in line with the people’s interests and national conditions and achieve smooth political transition as soon as possible. “Efforts should be made to avoid a new domestic war, humanitarian disaster and unnecessary casualties, and prevent causing a large number of refugees. This is the fundamental way out for the issue,” she said.
Russia, too, today went on to state that now that the Taliban had taken power in Kabul and most other cities and provinces, Moscow stood for a “nationwide dialogue that will lead to forming a representative government which, with the support of the citizens of Afghanistan, will proceed to develop agreements on political arrangements in this multi-ethnic country”.
Speaking about how this can be accomplished, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that in recent years, within the framework of the “expanded troika” (Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan) and in the Moscow format, which is generally recognised as the most effective mechanism for promoting external support for an Afghan settlement, “we pushed for an early start to these talks”. He alleged that the government and the President of Afghanistan, “who were bound by corresponding agreements”, were not in a hurry to act on them. “What happened, happened. When politicians are unable to work effectively, the temptation to resort to a military solution mounts. In any case, what we are now faced with absolutely confirms our consistent policy for creating the right external conditions and providing every support for a nationwide dialogue in Afghanistan,” he said.
According to Lavrov, the Moscow format had the best chance to succeed “since the situation has already taken on a region-wide dimension, and neighbouring countries and countries located further away from Afghanistan are responding to it”. As a reminder, all five Central Asian states (China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia and the United States) and the conflicting parties are participating in the Moscow format, he said. While he said no official proposals had been made so far, he claimed the effectiveness of this “backup group” behind the Afghan talks “has invariably been recognised by everyone”.
“We stand ready to resume the Moscow format, if needed,” he said.
“We reaffirm our unwavering course on creating an external environment for providing every support to the nationwide dialogue in Afghanistan. I would like to remind you of our commitment to the corresponding resolutions of the UN Security Council. We believe that the Moscow format has the best prospects. The situation has taken on a regionwide dimension. Neighbouring countries that are located further away from Afghanistan are responding to it. All five Central Asian states, as well as China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Russia, the United States and the conflicting parties themselves, are part of the Moscow format. No official proposals have been made so far, but the effectiveness of this “support group” during Afghan talks has always been recognised by everyone,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, explained.
– global bihari bureau
