Amidst the soaring criticism in the wake of the Taliban delegation’s visit to Norway aimed at discussions concerning pertaining issues, Russia on Monday voiced reservations regarding a positive outcome arising from the talks. A Taliban delegation headed by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday began the three days of discussions in the Oslo summit with Western diplomats and Afghan civil society members.
Zamir Kabulov, Kremlin’s Foreign Ministry Head of the Second Asia Department, informed news agency, Sputnik, that the Taliban’s Oslo talks are unlikely to yield any positive results. He further iterated that though Moscow has always stood for bilateral ties with Afghanistan, the Taliban’s Norwegian negotiations are bound to raise doubts.
200 demonstrators converge to protest Taliban-Oslo talks
Russia’s strong statement comes at a time when the extremist group’s visit was censured by prominent global powers as the Taliban has no diplomatic recognition from any other country. Following the arrival of the Taliban delegate, 200 demonstrators on Sunday gathered in front of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in Oslo to criticise the discussion. It is pertinent to mention here that this closed-door session is reportedly the first time the Taliban has conducted formal meetings in Europe since their takeover of Kabul in August last year.
After Day 1 of discussions, Associated Press quoted Taliban delegate Shafiullah Azam as saying that the dialogue with Western authorities can be viewed as “a step to legitimise (the) Afghan regime.” The delegate went on to add that such invitations and interactions would help the European community, the United States, as well as other nations “to erase the wrong picture of the Afghan government.”
In light of Kabulov’s recent remarks, it has to be noted that Russia has often taken a soft stand when it comes to the extremist group. Earlier in December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that the Taliban might be excluded from the terrorist blacklist provided the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan comes to an end. Since the Taliban’s efforts to push for talks with global powers are aimed at international recognition, it is to be noted that while speaking on the same during an annual conference in December, Putin asserted that Moscow stands for regional stability.
Taliban will urge to release roughly $10 billion in funds amid humanitarian crisis
Afghanistan has been ravaged by an economic, humanitarian, and security crisis since the Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15. The suspension of humanitarian aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and the imposition of global penalties on the Taliban have driven an already destitute nation into a full-fledged economic disaster.
(With Inputs from agencies)
Image: AP
Amidst the soaring criticism in the wake of the Taliban delegation’s visit to Norway aimed at discussions concerning pertaining issues, Russia on Monday voiced reservations regarding a positive outcome arising from the talks. A Taliban delegation headed by interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Monday began the three days of discussions in the Oslo summit with Western diplomats and Afghan civil society members. Zamir Kabulov, Kremlin’s Foreign Ministry Head of the Second Asia Department, informed news agency, Sputnik, that the Taliban’s Oslo talks are unlikely to yield any positive results. He further iterated that though Moscow has always stood for bilateral ties with Afghanistan, the Taliban’s Norwegian negotiations are bound to raise doubts. 200 demonstrators converge to protest Taliban-Oslo talks Russia’s strong statement comes at a time when the extremist group’s visit was censured by prominent global powers as the Taliban has no diplomatic recognition from any other country. Following the arrival of the Taliban delegate, 200 demonstrators on Sunday gathered in front of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in Oslo to criticise the discussion. It is pertinent to mention here that this closed-door session is reportedly the first time the Taliban has conducted formal meetings in Europe since their takeover of Kabul in August last year. After Day 1 of discussions, Associated Press quoted Taliban delegate Shafiullah Azam as saying that the dialogue with Western authorities can be viewed as “a step to legitimise (the) Afghan regime.” The delegate went on to add that such invitations and interactions would help the European community, the United States, as well as other nations “to erase the wrong picture of the Afghan government.” In light of Kabulov’s recent remarks, it has to be noted that Russia has often taken a soft stand when it comes to the extremist group. Earlier in December last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned that the Taliban might be excluded from the terrorist blacklist provided the humanitarian crisis in war-torn Afghanistan comes to an end. Since the Taliban’s efforts to push for talks with global powers are aimed at international recognition, it is to be noted that while speaking on the same during an annual conference in December, Putin asserted that Moscow stands for regional stability. Taliban will urge to release roughly $10 billion in funds amid humanitarian crisis Afghanistan has been ravaged by an economic, humanitarian, and security crisis since the Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15. The suspension of humanitarian aid, the freezing of Afghan government assets, and the imposition of global penalties on the Taliban have driven an already destitute nation into a full-fledged economic disaster. (With Inputs from agencies) Image: AP