Russian envoy to India Roman Babushkin clarified the country’s position on Taliban, suggesting working with or having a dialogue with them doesn’t amount to recognising their regime.
In an exclusive conversation with CNN-News18, Babushkin said, “The situation in Afghanistan remains unpredictable. In this situation, Russia maintains close dialogue with all countries concerned, including at the level of UNSC.” He said if at all Taliban has to be recognised, the “first step has to be a relevant consensus at the United Nations first in Security Council”.
Babushkin stressed that Taliban should be judged not on their “commitments but rather on their real actions to ensure law and order, fundamental freedoms and human right in their country”. He added that “currently our dialogue is to ensure security of our mission (in Kabul). The Russian embassy in Kabul keeps functioning”.
This came after Russia made some of these points, as per sources, in the UNSC. The envoy told the council that there was no need to panic, while pointing out that there has been no bloodshed in Kabul during the takeover by Taliban. The envoy mentioned that they are in talks with the Taliban to ensure safe passage of those who wish to leave and that their embassy will remain open in Kabul.
Meanwhile, news agency AP reported that Russian ambassador in Kabul after his meeting with the Taliban on Tuesday described it as positive and constructive. Dmitry Zhirnov said, “The Taliban representatives said the Taliban has the friendliest approach to Russia. They confirmed guarantees of security for the embassy.”
Taliban was designated as a terrorist organisation by Russia in 2003. But in the last years, Russia has shown greater engagement with Taliban not just in closed meetings in Moscow but also in Doha.
However, Russian envoy Babushkin indicated that how Taliban deals with terrorism will be the basis for any real future engagement. He said, “Afghanistan territory should not be used against other countries and fight against terrorists should continue.”
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