Fmr Afghan pres Ghani 'undoubtedly responsible for what happened' in Afghanistan – FM spox Zakharova

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was ‘undoubtedly responsible for what happened’ in Afghanistan, after the Taliban’s occupation of Kabul during a briefing in Moscow, on Thursday.

“He has had every opportunity to ensure the success of the inter-Afghan peace process,” she said.

Zakharova also added the Taliban’s rise to power was a reality the “international community should certainly take into account for building future relations with Afghanistan.”

According to Zakharova, Russia is ready to ensure the flight of ‘any number’ of Afghan nationals to “any foreign countries that would show interest in receiving and accommodating them.”

Zakharova also said that Taliban representatives had assured the Russian side that there are no obstacles to the arrival and departure of Russian aircraft in Kabul and gave appropriate security guarantees.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson (Russian): “The rise of the Taliban to power in Kabul is a reality that the international community should certainly take into account for building future relations with Afghanistan. The central Panjsher province remains not under Taliban control, where Afghan Tajiks, led by former Vice President Amrullah Saleh and son of Ahmad Shah Masood, have formed armed resistance units.”

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson (Russian): “President [Ashraf] Ghani, who recently emerged in the UAE, is undoubtedly responsible for what happened. Over the past three years, he has had every opportunity to ensure the success of the inter-Afghan peace process and facilitate the smooth formation of an inclusive government involving all ethno-political forces in the country. However, that chance has been missed.”

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson (Russian): “The Taliban have actively taken up the cause of restoring order, have shown a willingness to dialogue with influential Afghan political leaders, particularly former Afghan president [Hamid] Karzai about the future state structure, and are ready, as they say, to consider the interests of citizens, including - for us this is a hot topic - women’s rights and many other aspects.”

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson (Russian): “We are documenting all the statements that are now coming from the Taliban wanting to engage in dialogue with other political forces in Afghanistan. They have already announced a number of meetings with representatives of political forces.”

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson (Russian): “There are about a hundred Russian citizens on the consular register, mostly ethnic Afghans, who at different times studied in Russia or the Soviet Union, started families here, acquired citizenship, then returned to their historic homeland. The Consular Service of the Embassy focuses on dealing with these and other appeals from Russian citizens. We note that most of these appeals are requests for assistance to help them return to the Russian Federation. All of them will be given careful consideration. I would like to note that there is no question of evacuating embassy personnel or Russian citizens in Afghanistan. At the moment, we are working as usual on organizing several charter flights. We have done this before during the coronavirus pandemic, using the local airline Ariana. Since there is no such possibility now, we plan to organize special flights, including for Russian citizens wishing to leave Afghanistan. The Taliban representatives have assured us that there are no obstacles to this and have given appropriate security guarantees.”

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry official spokesperson (Russian): “In order to prevent a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, we are ready to provide the services of Russian civil aviation to ensure the flight of any number of Afghan citizens, including women and children, to any foreign countries that would show interest in receiving and accommodating them. As representatives of the new authorities in Afghanistan have assured us, there are no principal obstacles to Russian aircraft arriving and departing in Kabul.”

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