Taliban No Longer A Threat: Russia

Russia no longer sees the Taliban of Afghanistan as a threat. Zamir Kabulov, Director of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country, said that the Taliban is no longer a threat to Russia. On Saturday (May 18) in a report, the RT reported.

Since the Taliban came to power in 2021, Russia has not directly recognized the Taliban led government but maintained close contacts. 

Jamir Kabulov recently visited New Delhi to discuss the Afghan problem. He then clarified Russia's current position on the Taliban in an interview with the Russian news agency TASS.

India initially turned its back on the Taliban government, but is now working to establish diplomatic ties and develop business ties.

According to the senior diplomat Zamir Kabulov, Russia and India have the same approach to solving the Afghan problems.

 Discussions in Delhi have made it clear that Russia and India are closer than ever on the Afghanistan issue. Besides, the two countries have similar plans to solve this crisis, he added. 

Kabulov said, "I can't say that Taliban are our friends, but they are not our enemies. The Taliban say they believe Russia is the successor to the USSR.

Kabulov told the Russian news agency TASS, the Taliban's rise to power was an unpleasant surprise for Delhi. Although we were warned that this would happen. India had a moderate attitude towards the Taliban for various reasons related to Pakistan and China.

Kabulov also said, India understands that what Russia is doing (to resolve the crisis) is beneficial for them (India) and not against their interests.

At this time he recalled that India had a very close relationship with the previous Afghan government. India also invested heavily in Afghanistan politically and economically.

 

After talks in New Delhi, Russian and Indian officials highlighted the need for international assistance to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.

 

Earlier this year, an Indian delegation attended a regional cooperation initiative meeting organized by the Taliban in Kabul.

Then in March, senior Indian diplomat JP Singh held a meeting with the Taliban's acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. Afghanistan said in a statement at the time that the two sides discussed security, trade and ways to combat drug trafficking.