Russia: Establishing lasting peace is impossible without constructive interaction with the Taliban

Anna Ustigneva, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in Afghanistan, stated that when the Taliban came to power, this country was facing many challenges, but contrary to the predictions and pessimistic expectations of the Westerners, a civil war occurred in this country. He did not.

This Russian diplomat said: After 20 years of complete dependence on international aid, Afghanistan is in a state of financial famine, under unprecedented unilateral sanctions, but One step away from a human and economic collapse. However, contrary to the pessimistic predictions and expectations of our Western colleagues, Afghanistan has neither fallen into another civil war nor turned into a “black hole”.

He added: We are convinced that there is no substitute for a realistic and comprehensive approach to Afghanistan based on an objective analysis and a balanced assessment of the situation and prospects for resolving the issue of Afghanistan. This approach involves both constructive engagement of the international community (considering the needs of Afghans) and pragmatic dialogue with actual authorities on a range of immediate problems, without pressure or blackmail.

Ustignyeva stated that peace and stability in Afghanistan is the key to stability in the region and the extra region, adding that the Taliban has repeatedly developed extensive pragmatic cooperation, strengthened regional cooperation and increased contacts with various international stakeholders, including those under United Nations monitoring, they have shown interest. However, if reciprocal steps by the international community depend on the approval of a few Western donors who pursue narrow self-interests, it will be difficult to make progress in this direction.

Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, expressing concern over the activities of the ISIS terrorist group, considered it necessary to support the Taliban’s struggle to completely solve the threat of this terrorist group.

While emphasizing the non-politicization of humanitarian aid, the release of assets and the expansion of aid to Afghanistan, this Russian diplomat continued: Our focus is on the rights of all Afghans, including the rights of women and girls and their socio-economic rights to study and work and The formation of a truly inclusive government with the participation of all ethnic and political groups in this country.

At the end, he stated: The Russian Federation fully supports the aspiration and right of the Afghan people to live in peace and stability; The order of the region also depends on it. However, it is impossible to build long-term and sustainable peace without engaging with de facto authorities on a wide range of issues. There is no alternative to that path. This will determine how quickly Afghanistan can break out of the current impasse and reintegrate into world affairs.

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