“We had an important meeting in Doha with Zamir Kabulov, special representative of the president of Russia. Strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Russia was discussed,” says the Afghan delegation.
The Taliban government delegation to the talks on Afghanistan that begin this Sunday in Doha met with the Russian presidential representative for the meeting who, according to Afghan fundamentalists, expressed his support for the de facto regime.
“We had an important meeting in Doha with Zamir Kabulov, special representative of the president of Russia. Strengthening relations between Afghanistan and Russia was discussed. “Russia supported the position of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the Islamic Emirate also thanked Russia for its positive position,” said the spokesman and head of the Afghan delegation, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a message on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The Taliban are in Doha to take part in the third round of international negotiations on Afghanistan, organised by the United Nations.
The special rapprochement and exchange of support between Kabul and Moscow raised the expectation of eventual official recognition by the Russian government.
This is the first meeting in which the Taliban have participated. It is also the first time that the UN has not invited representatives of Afghan civil society and human rights activists at the request of the fundamentalists.
In addition to Mujahid, representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Trade and Industry and the Central Bank of Afghanistan participated in the meeting.
Although expectations for such a meeting were fueled by the search for a formula to put pressure on the Afghan regime regarding its internal policies and the human rights situation, the Taliban made it clear on Saturday that internal Afghan issues, including women’s rights, such as education and freedom of movement, are not part of the agenda of the dialogue.
According to Mujahid, the Afghan delegation also met with representatives of other countries,
During the meeting with India’s representatives for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, spokesperson JP Singh said “strengthening relations between the two countries” was discussed.
India “supported Afghanistan’s position at the upcoming Doha meeting,” he added.
The official agenda for the Doha meeting has not been published, but it is expected that it will address issues such as humanitarian aid, reconstruction and the fight against terrorism.
Kabul, for its part, must address issues such as the fight against drugs and the financial and banking sanctions imposed on the country after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, and the country’s subsequent international isolation.
“Our participation in this meeting is not a position of enmity towards any party, but rather a commitment to all parties, which should be better understood and utilized,” the spokesman said at a news conference on Saturday.
Source: Observadora
