Statements by Thomas West, US special envoy on Afghanistan, about the necessity of cooperating with Russia and China on Afghan problems is a positive signal, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Wednesday.
"We have paid attention to the statements of the US special representative for Afghanistan Mr. West on the need for close cooperation with Russia and China to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. We see a positive signal in these statements and hope for the continuation of fruitful cooperation with the American side within the framework of the mechanisms of the expanded "troika" and the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan," she noted.
According to Zakharova, Moscow also notes the German government's intention to establish contacts with representatives of the Taliban (banned in Russia) and to resume the embassy in Kabul, "including for the purpose of providing humanitarian aid in Afghanistan."
"We note the continued efforts of the Taliban movement to normalize the situation in socially important spheres in this country," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added. For example, she said, a large-scale polio vaccination campaign, which should cover up to 10 million children, was launched in Afghanistan with the help of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). The process of passportization of the Afghan population is underway, and a system of regional governance is being established.
"The new Afghan authorities are making efforts to fight the ISIS [former name of the IS terrorist organization banned in Russia] group, and there have been raids that are aimed at strengthening security. They were related to monitoring the situation around regions where militant bases are located," the diplomat concluded.
US statement
Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, said in a telephone briefing for journalists on Monday that the United States needed to work with Russia, Iran, China and other countries to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan.
The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to take control of Afghanistan after the US announced in the spring of 2021 the decision to withdraw its armed forces from the country. On August 15, the radicals entered Kabul without a fight and president Ashraf Ghani left the republic. On September 6, the Taliban claimed control of all Afghan territory, and on September 7 they announced the composition of the provisional government, which has not yet been recognized by any state.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS