Russia considers last week's meeting in Oslo between a delegation of the Taliban radical movement (banned in Russia) which seized power in Afghanistan and officials of foreign countries to be a step towards recognizing the movement, Aleksei Zaitsev, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department, said.
"We consider these meetings, on the one hand, as a step toward international recognition of the Taliban movement, and on the other hand, as a movement toward increasing trust between the ruling regime in Kabul and representatives of other Afghan socio-political circles," he said at a briefing on Thursday.
Zaitsev recalled that the Taliban met in Oslo not only with representatives of foreign countries but also with Afghan civil society activists. "We would consider it advisable in the future to continue the dialogue of the Taliban movement with civil society activists directly on the territory of Afghanistan," he concluded.
Zaitsev also noted that Russia is ready to provide a platform for talks between the Taliban and political forces that oppose them. "We are ready to provide a Moscow venue for negotiations between the interested Afghan parties to facilitate a speedy conclusion of the inter-Afghan peace process," he said.
The meeting in Oslo was held from January 23 to 25.
Situation in Syria
Zaitsev noted that the US and Kurdish authorities are failing to ensure security in the territories under their control in Syria, as evidenced by terrorist attacks.
"It is clear that neither the Americans nor the local Kurdish authorities are up to the task of ensuring reliable security in the territories under their control in northeastern Syria," he said. - "We reiterate our position in favor of the necessity of unconditional respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, the restoration of the legitimate authorities' control over all areas of the country after the withdrawal of the foreign military contingents illegally deployed there from Syria. This is the only way to finally eliminate the presence of international terrorism on Syrian soil and ensure sustainable stability and security in and around Syria".
The representative of the diplomatic mission recalled the recent incident in the Syrian city of Al-Hasakah, where fighters of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, former name of ISIS), banned in the Russian Federation, attacked the Al-Sinaa prison, where terrorists were kept. The fighters managed to free the prisoners and gain a foothold in nearby residential areas. In response, Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by US combat aircraft, launched an operation to clean up the areas captured by the terrorists.
"As a result of American airstrikes on the positions of fiercely resisting militants, the technical college building and the economics department of the local university were destroyed, and a fuel depot was destroyed. Both sides sustained significant casualties. There were casualties among civilians," the diplomat said. According to him, the successful attack of IS militants on Al-Sinaa prison "was another evidence of the failure of the US military, which, according to official Washington, is there for the final liquidation of ISIS, and several hundreds of terrorists, who were set free, undoubtedly pose a security threat not only for Syria, but also for other countries in the region and beyond."
Damascus statement
In this regard, Zaitsev drew attention to the official statement of the Syrian MFA in connection with the events in Al-Hasakah, where the attack by militants and the response of Kurdish formations of the Syrian Democratic Forces were called "crimes that led to the death and mass exodus of local residents, as well as significant destruction of civil infrastructure."
"Damascus characterized the US actions in a similar way, placing special emphasis on the barbaric nature of the US air raids," he added. - "The US and Turkey were once again demanded to stop the illegal military presence on the territory of Syria. The statement stressed that the Syrian authorities provided all possible assistance and support to the citizens who fled the fighting zone despite the difficult circumstances caused, first of all, by the Western sanctions imposed on Syria".
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS