Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the United States should pay for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, currently ruled by the fanatical Islamist Taliban, a human rights nightmare.
“We discussed further cooperation in all areas. This includes not only economic issues, but also detailed discussions on transport. We will work on everything related to trade and We talked about energy agreements, all of which have promising prospects,'' Shoigu said. said After meeting with Taliban leaders in Kabul.
“There was also talk about the United States, which continues to plunder everything with impunity.The issue was about the return of assets and funds that belong only to the Afghan people.As in Libya and Syria, the United States refuses to return it,” Shoigu continued.
“In my opinion, after everything the United States has done and abandoned in Afghanistan, we should invest in rebuilding it. This applies to everything: people's needs, rebuilding facilities, restoring infrastructure.” he said.
Shoigu said Taliban leaders asked for help in lifting U.S. sanctions pressure during the talks, but the prime minister said Russia was backed into a corner.
“We would like to confirm our readiness to establish a constructive political dialogue between our two countries, including among our goals to give impetus to the reconciliation process between the Afghan people.” he said.
Although the Taliban are technically still classified as a terrorist organization in Russia, last month the Russian Foreign Ministry announced He said the decision to remove him from Moscow's list of banned terrorists was “taken at the highest level.”
Russia added the Taliban to its list in 2003 for supporting Islamic separatists in the North Caucasus. Until recently, Moscow wondered whether aid would ever be resumed or whether northern white separatists would learn dangerously useful lessons from President Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal and the Taliban's conquest of Kabul. He seemed concerned.
Russia needed friends after alienating much of the civilized world with its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but President Vladimir Putin's desire for more allies in Asia appears to have allayed deep-seated concerns about the Taliban. .
Shoigu said on Tuesday that strengthening economic and political cooperation with the Taliban was on the Russian government's agenda. Abdul Mateen Qaani, a spokesman for the Taliban interior ministry, said the Taliban government also wants close ties.
“During this meeting, the two sides had a comprehensive discussion on political, security and economic issues. Shoigu said that the name of the Islamic Emirate, formerly known as the Taliban movement, will be removed from Russia's blacklist. I have been assured that the process is in its final stages,” Karni said.
“The visit of a Russian delegation to Afghanistan, discussions on political and economic issues, and the announcement to remove the name of the current Afghan government from the list of terrorist organizations are all positive developments,” said political analyst Zalmay Afghanyar. said Afghanistan Toro News.
Toro News reported that Shoigu “expressed Russia's desire for Afghanistan to regain its status as an observer member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”
Afghanistan has been I'm trying Long before the Taliban takeover, there was a push to gain full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Even the US-backed civilian government saw the SCO as a means to develop closer ties with China and Russia. Afghanistan gained observer status in 2012 under then-President Hamid Karzai, but that status was suspended following the Biden withdrawal debacle in 2021.
Russia, like chinacovets Afghanistan's mineral wealth. At an economic forum held in Kazan, Russia in May, Taliban Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi said: invited Russia to invest in metal and gem mining.
“Afghanistan has very large reserves of lithium and copper, as well as mineral resources such as gemstones. There is great potential for mining these metals and minerals, and Russian companies are investing in Afghanistan in this field. I look forward to doing so,” Azizi said.
If Russia removes the Taliban from its terrorist list, Moscow could become the first country to formally recognize the Taliban government as legitimate, the next step toward gaining access to Afghanistan's precious minerals. Even greedy China has yet to take that step, and Russia may be hesitant for similar reasons. Even the resource-starved and oppressive Axis superpowers do not trust the Taliban to keep their promises.
“The Taliban are always willing to accept advance concessions, but things get complicated when you reward them,” said Counter Extremism Project (CEP) analyst Hans-Jacob Schindler. observed In June, the Taliban sent a delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“It matters little whether Russia delists the Taliban as terrorists as long as the United Nations Security Council in New York keeps them on the sanctions list,” Schindler added, posing another obstacle to Russia's diplomatic negotiations. pointed out. Legitimacy of mineral rights.
