Russia: 'We welcomed the Taliban’s statement on their willingness to start a dialogue' – Lavrov

У вашего броузера проблема в совместимости с HTML5

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed the Taliban’s stated willingness to start a political dialogue with other groups in Afghanistan in Moscow on Thursday.

Speaking alongside Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush, Lavrov said that “We will promote such negotiations in every possible way and make sure that these intentions are translated into exact actions.”

The minister said that he considered the ‘Moscow platform’ as the most efficient way to resolve the situation. It includes the conflicting parties, the five largest Central Asian states, and in addition China, Pakistan, India, the US, Iran, and Russia as mediators.

Lavrov said that he did not believe that Afghanistan was fully under Taliban control, noting that there are resistance forces in the Panjshir Gorge. The minister also urged all sides to resist the “temptation of a military solution” and to resolve the conflict through diplomacy.

In addition to Afghanistan, Lavrov and Mangoush also discussed the withdrawal of foreign troops from Libya, with the pair agreeing that the process should be phased.

“This is to prevent a repetition of the negative lessons of our neighbours in order to prevent an imprudent withdrawal of foreign troops and the situation does not devolve into chaos. It is essential that, this does not hurt the national security of Libya,” said Mangoush.

She also expressed gratitude to Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin for “efforts to bring the two sides closer and initiate a ceasefire regime,” which has been operating in the country since January 2020.

The recent Taliban offensive in Afghanistan follows the US and other NATO forces ongoing withdrawal from the country.

Prior to the Taliban’s seizure of power, China, India, Pakistan, Russia and the US, among other world powers, had been pushing for an end to the conflict in Afghanistan.

The Taliban is designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations Security Council. The US meanwhile has not placed it on its Foreign Terrorist Organization list while Russia has designated it a terrorist group since 2003. In July 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow had started “to establish contacts” with the Taliban seven years earlier to communicate ‘concerns’ regarding security in the region.

#Lavrov #Taliban #Afghanistan #AfghanistanConflict

Video ID: 20210819-016

Video on Demand: https://ruptly.tv/videos/20210819-016
Contact: [email protected]

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly