The Russian ambassador to Afghanistan praised the Taliban’s actions on Monday (August 16) and stated that the organization is still officially designated as a terrorist organization in Russia, making Kabul safer than the previous authorities in the first 24 hours.
Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov’s comments reflect Russia’s unabashed efforts to deepen established relations with the Taliban, while temporarily suspending recognition of the hardline Islamic organization that Moscow itself tried to control but failed to control. The Soviet Union, the country’s legal ruler, withdrew its last troops in 1989.
Russia wants to ensure that the instability in Afghanistan will not spread to Central Asia. It believes that part of the former Soviet Union is its own backyard and will not become a launch pad for other extremist Islamic organizations.
Russia said that, like many other countries, it was surprised by the speed at which the Taliban seized control of the country, even though US troops are still trying to evacuate American citizens.
In an interview with Moscow’s Ekho Moskvy radio station, Zhirnov said that he was impressed by the Taliban’s actions so far, calling their practices “good, positive and commercial.”
“The situation is calm and beautiful. Everything in the city has calmed down. The situation in Kabul now under Taliban rule is better than that under (President) Ashraf Ghani,” Zhirnov said .
Ghani’s whereabouts are unknown and fled on Sunday, saying he wanted to prevent bloodshed.
Zhirnov said: “Yesterday, the regime collapsed like a house of cards.” “There is a sense of chaos, a vacuum of power, and robbers flooding the streets.”
He said that initially unarmed Taliban troops have entered the capital and demanded that the government and the US military surrender their weapons. He said that once Ghani fled and imposed a curfew, the main armed forces of the Taliban then entered.
Zhirnov said that the Taliban have controlled the security border of the Russian embassy, which has more than 100 staff members, and he will hold detailed security talks with them on Tuesday.
He said that the Taliban had promised to protect Russian diplomats in accordance with an earlier agreement, saying that Western concerns about their actions have not been confirmed so far.
He said that schools in Kabul, including girls’ schools, have restarted operations.
The Russian Embassy in the UK stated that Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan shows that its geopolitical star is declining.
The U.S. Embassy said on Twitter on Sunday: “The objective reality is that Washington’s comfortable position of U.S. hegemony is gradually fading in the context of the ever-increasing political stances of Russia and China.”
President Vladimir Putin’s special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said on Monday that Moscow’s long-term campaign to establish relations with the Taliban now appears to be paying off.
“It is not meaningless that we have been in contact with the Taliban movement for the past seven years,” Kabulov told Ekho Moskvy.
“We see that, in any case, if this force is not fully in power, it will eventually play a leading role in the future of Afghanistan.”
Like-minded
A Chinese government spokesman said on Monday that Beijing is ready to deepen its “friendly and cooperative” relationship with Afghanistan.
“The Taliban have repeatedly expressed their hope to develop good relations with China and look forward to China’s participation in Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development,” said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran’s new ultra-conservative President Ibrahim Raisi sees positive opportunities.
“The military failure and the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan should provide an opportunity to restore life, security and lasting peace in the country,” his office quoted Lacey as saying.
Although his statement did not directly mention the Taliban, he did state that Tehran hopes to maintain good relations with its eastern neighbors and “closely monitor” developments there.
According to UNHCR data, Iran has hosted nearly 3.5 million Afghans, accounting for nearly 4% of its population.
At the same time, others welcomed the Taliban’s return to power.
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic movement that controls the Gaza Strip, said it “congratulates the Taliban movement and its brave leadership for this victory, which is the culmination of its long struggle over the past 20 years.”
