In connection with the publication of the declaration on the establishment of the Supreme national resistance council of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Russia calls on all ethno-political forces in the country to abandon militant rhetoric, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
"The initiators [of the council] were, among others, [one of the leaders of the Islamic society of Afghanistan party] Ata Mohammad Noor, marshal Abdurrashid Dustum and former vice president of the country Mohammad Yunus Qanuni. They are currently outside of Afghanistan. We call on all ethno-political forces in Afghanistan to refrain from belligerent rhetoric and to make every effort to complete the process of national reconciliation," the diplomat said.
Moscow also drew attention to demonstrations in Kabul against the background of the difficult socio-economic situation, whose participants called on the international community to unblock Afghanistan's state reserves. "We expect that the appeal of demonstrators of such a global scale, addressed to the world community, which for many years has been telling and convincing the people of Afghanistan, who are now addressing it, that the situation is under control, they know where the people of Afghanistan are leading and everything will be fine, everything will be a la Western democracy. So: we proceed from the fact that this appeal should not be ignored, these funds will be unfrozen, which will allow them to cover the priority needs of the population, primarily to pay salaries, maintain the national economy and prevent a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan", summarized Zakharova.
On Friday, Ata Mohammad Noor as well as Abdurrab Rasul Sayyaf, chairman of the Islamic call party, published on their Facebook pages a declaration on the establishment of the Supreme council of national resistance of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The statement said the politicians intended to oppose the Taliban (a movement banned in the Russian Federation), including, if necessary, by military means. They also asked the Afghan people to prepare for a long resistance and called on the Taliban "to put an end to violence against civilians and to enter into direct and constructive negotiations with the representatives of the Council".
At the same time, the creators of the new political body thanked the international community for not recognizing the interim cabinet formed by the radicals and called on all countries to put pressure on the Taliban to form a new and inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Humanitarian aid
Moscow is working on the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, as well as taking citizens of Russia, the Collective security treaty organization (CSTO) and CIS countries, as well as Afghan students studying full-time at Russian universities out of the republic, Zakharova said.
"Taking into account the difficult humanitarian and socio-economic situation in Afghanistan, the issue of delivering a batch of urgent humanitarian aid consisting of basic necessities and medicines to that country is being considered. As for the removal from Afghanistan of citizens of Russia and the CSTO and CIS member states, their close relatives as well as Afghan students who study on a full-time basis in Russian universities, the issue is being considered in the interagency format, and visa support is provided to everyone who needs it. We shall also inform you of further developments," Zakharova said.
Participants of the meeting in the Moscow format on Afghanistan on October 20 called for urgent humanitarian and economic aid for the country's reconstruction. They also proposed the launch of a collective initiative for an early convening of a representative international donor conference under the auspices of the United Nations.
The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to take control of Afghanistan after the US announced in the spring of 2020 the decision to withdraw its military forces from the country. On August 15, the president of the Islamic republic Ashraf Ghani left the country and the radicals entered Kabul without a fight. On September 6, the movement declared its control over the entire territory of Afghanistan, and on September 7, it announced the composition of the provisional cabinet, whose legitimacy has not yet been recognized by any country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS