Russia regrets that the current state of Iranian-American relations does not allow Iran to join the format of the expanded "troika" (the Russian Federation, the United States, China and Pakistan) for the peaceful settlement of the Afghan crisis, Russian Presidential Special Representative for Afghanistan and Director of the Second Asia Department of the Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov said on Tuesday in an online discussion at the Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Fund.
"Initially, when this expanded troika was created, it was understood that the Islamic Republic of Iran would be its fifth member. But due to the current well-known state of affairs in Iranian-American relations, the Iranians, for political and ideological reasons, are not yet ready to sit at the same table with the Americans and solve any issues. That's their right," Kabulov said. - "But we're sorry because we do miss Iran as a partner because at this particular juncture that I outlined earlier, it was important for us, together with the Iranians, the Pakistanis, the Chinese and the Americans, to move the political settlement process in Afghanistan from the deadlock where it is still".
According to the Russian President's Special Representative, Iran is a key player in the "Afghan field". "Personally, I think that Pakistan and Iran are the most important and influential states in the context of the Afghan settlement.
Role of the Russian side
According to Kabulov, Russia does not take for granted the promises that come from the conflicting parties in Afghanistan, but establishes guarantees for their fulfillment.
"I perfectly understand the price of our word, and I also perfectly understand that to keep your word, you must not just trust them, but make them keep it. We have a very pragmatic and cold-blooded approach to these things. If the side that gives us its word decides to break it, it must understand the price of this breach. Russia demonstrates this very eloquently, with all its power, but delicately," he said, when asked whether the Taliban's (banned in the Russian Federation) promises could be trusted.
According to Kabulov, about two-thirds of the Taliban believe that they can achieve more through intra-Afghan negotiations than through combat operations. "This is a critical mass of sentiment that has grown. And this is a very important point," the special presidential representative said.
He pointed out, however, that the process of further settlement will not go smoothly. "We all take this into account and understand perfectly well that real diplomacy is not based on emotions, it is based on interests and capabilities," Kabulov concluded.
On April 14, US President Joe Biden announced his decision to end the operation in Afghanistan, which has become the longest overseas military campaign in American history. Against this backdrop, the security situation in the Islamic republic is deteriorating as Taliban fighters ramp up their offensive in a number of areas.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS