Moscow (Kubha News) – Kremlin states that Afghanistan is next to Russia , and like other nations, Moscow desires to maintain contact with it.
Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian President, told the media on Wednesday that they have begun efforts to establish communication with the Taliban and intend to discuss ” pressing issues” with them.
Peskov stated: “Afghanistan is a country close to us, and we engage with it in one way or another. We need to resolve a series of pressing issues, which require dialogue. Therefore, like other countries, we are in contact with them (the Taliban) because they are the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.”
However, the spokesperson for the Russian President did not provide details on the ” pressing issues” Moscow intends to discuss with the Taliban.
Following the attack on a concert hall in Moscow two weeks ago, the Russian President held telephone conversations with leaders of several regional countries, particularly Central Asian countries, to discuss the perpetrators of the incident and cooperation in this regard. However, Moscow has not officially discussed this issue with the Taliban yet.
In the Moscow attack, 144 people were killed, and Russian security agencies arrested several citizens of Central Asian countries in connection with the incident.
Moscow’s new attempt to establish relations and initiate dialogue with the Taliban comes as the Russian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice have recently begun work on a plan under which Moscow would remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups and lift some sanctions on Taliban government officials.
Sources within the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have informed the media that both the Foreign and Justice Ministries are currently working on this plan, and upon its finalization, the name of the Taliban will be removed from the list of terrorist groups.
In 2003, Russia listed the Taliban as a terrorist group after the UN Security Council designated the Taliban’s military activities as terrorist actions.