The Russian president Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov has warned the Taliban not to undermine security in Central Asia which would lead to grave consequences.
"We are closely monitoring the situation [in Afghanistan]. But when the Taliban see that any attempt to undermine the security of our allies in Central Asia will be fraught with great losses for them, they will start behaving", Kabulov told the Russian news agency Sputnik.
In an interview with the agency, Kabulov said that Russia is concerned about the escalation in the north of Afghanistan and urged both the Taliban and the Afghan government to come back to the negotiation table.
“It seems to me that in reality, the parties will be ready for substantial, productive negotiations in the fall. Both sides have been preparing for war for too long and until, as they say, they don't blow off the steam, it is difficult to count on something serious", Kabulov said when asked if peace talks were expected any time soon.
Kabulov’s statement came at the time when foreign ministers of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) were in Dushanbe to discuss the Afghan crisis. The SCO brings together Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
Last week, the Taliban's delegation led by Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar, visited Russia and met the Russian president's special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov and told him that Taliban does not pose a threat to Russia or its Central Asian allies.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported after the meeting that the Taliban had assured that they would not violate the borders of Central Asian states and that they would guarantee the security of foreign diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
The militant group also is seeking Russia’s help in lifting sanctions imposed by the UN.
"Yes we have asked them [the Russian side] to help in the delisting (from the UNSC sanctions list)," said Taliban spokesperson Sohail Shaheen.
Russia has hosted several rounds of talks on Afghanistan, most recently in March, that involved the Taliban – even though Russia has labelled them a terrorist organization. Russia has expressed readiness to support Central Asian nations that are part of the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The envoy went on to say that the Afghan government and the Taliban must come to the table and agree on the transitional body that would not be elected but rather be the subject of an agreement between the two sides.
"It is important that there is no power vacuum, no chaos in the country, there is a need for a joint authority that will end hostilities and begin solving problems before proceeding with the final determination of the future of Afghanistan and the future form of government. They must bring order back to the country and solve the issues of integrating the Taliban into society",Kabulov said.
