On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the 4th ministerial conference of Afghanistan's neighboring countries, which will be held in Samarkand. In addition to Russia, Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are expected to take part in the event.
The meeting is planned to be held in the territory of "Great Silk Road" international tourist complex opened in 2022 on the outskirts of Samarkand and consisting of eight hotels and the unique historical and ethnographic complex "Eternal City" reflecting all original traditions of the oriental architecture.
Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president's special envoy for Afghanistan and director of the second department for Asia at the Russian MFA, told TASS earlier that Russia had the best expectations from this meeting, but he said there is no need to get ahead of the game.
Agenda
The Russian foreign ministry said that the agenda includes discussion of further steps of regional partners in facilitating the political settlement in Afghanistan and stabilizing the humanitarian and socio-economic situation in the country.
The sides may also discuss Moscow's idea to create a major, five-sided G5 format for a settlement in Afghanistan with the participation of India, Iran, China, Pakistan and Russia.
They also drew attention to the need to coordinate counterterrorism and anti-drug efforts of the region's countries in view of the complicated security situation, growth of terrorist activity and drug production in Afghanistan.
The situation in the republic remains complicated and takes the character of a protracted crisis, noted Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. He emphasized that "Washington and its satellites are responsible for the critical state of affairs in the country after the withdrawal of the occupation troops, and they should bear the main financial costs of the post-conflict reconstruction of the Afghan economy.
Common threats
In turn, Russian President Vladimir Putin also emphasized that the situation in Afghanistan is not improving after the withdrawal of the US troops, moreover, international terrorist organizations are becoming more active in the republic. Putin also pointed out that the humanitarian situation in this South Asian country is constantly deteriorating. According to Russian data, about 4 million people in Afghanistan are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.
Putin also expressed Russia's concern over attempts to use the situation in Afghanistan "for extra-regional states to expand or build their infrastructure there, which they are going to create under the guise of fighting international terrorism." At the same time, he noted that "these countries do not do anything that would be required for the real fight against international terrorism."
Beijing has also expressed concern about the terrorist threat. The day before, the Chinese foreign ministry stated that the terrorist elements of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (banned in the Russian Federation) present in Afghanistan threaten not only the security of Afghanistan itself, but also that of China, as well as the entire neighboring region. In addition, Kabulov previously noted that the West is trying to undermine China's "Belt and Road" initiative by manipulating terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov noted in an interview with TASS earlier this year that the Afghan authorities' potential to fight terrorism is limited by the total lack of money due to Western sanctions. He emphasized that today IS poses "a serious threat to Afghanistan and the states of the region," primarily Central Asia.
Kabul also drew attention to the root of the country's economic problems. At the end of March, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the provisional government of Afghanistan formed by the Taliban movement (banned in the Russian Federation), said that US sanctions were the main cause of economic crisis in Afghanistan and were an obstacle to overcoming the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Economic issues
As noted in the Russian diplomatic mission, special attention will be paid to the dynamics of regional economic integration and the implementation of transport and energy projects with the participation of Kabul in accordance with previously reached agreements.
Late last year, it was reported that the interim government formed by the Taliban announced it had completed development of the $5 billion Trans-Afghan railroad project. Bakht Rahman Sharafat, the head of the country's railroad administration, said that negotiations with Uzbekistan and Pakistan on the prospects for joint implementation of the project were underway.
It is possible that the sides will also touch upon the gas issue. Last December, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandr Novak said that Russia could send its natural gas to markets in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the long term.
Situation in Afghanistan
After in 2021 the US announced its decision to withdraw from Afghanistan its armed forces, the Taliban launched a large-scale operation to establish control over the territory of the country. On August 15 of the same year, former president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani fled abroad, and the Taliban entered Kabul without a fight. The US military personnel completely left Afghanistan by early September 2021, ending its nearly 20-year presence in this country.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS