Tajikistan did not like the positive assessments of the Taliban in Kazan

Tajikistan did not sign the Kazan Declaration following the fifth meeting of the Moscow format on the Afghan settlement (Russia, India, Iran, China, Central Asian countries) on September 29, as it did not agree with the positive language regarding the Taliban movement (banned and recognized as terrorist in Russia). The special representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, stated this at a briefing on October 4, a Vedomosti correspondent reports.

“Tajik partners did not like two provisions. The first is that the majority of the format participants welcomed the efforts of the Taliban to fight the Islamic State (a terrorist group banned in Russia) in Afghanistan, and we encouraged the Afghan authorities to continue this work, since this is in the interests of the security of all neighbors. The second point is that we praised the Afghan authorities for the fight they are waging against the drug industry,” Kabulov said.

According to him, the Taliban have achieved a significant reduction in the area under opiate cultivation. It remains to be seen how this will affect the drug flow, but “the very decision of the Afghan leadership to engage in this matter deserves all possible praise and support,” he said.

“Our Tajik partners – this is the attitude of the leadership of Tajikistan – are very critical of Afghanistan and believe that there is nothing to grab hold of the current authorities. Nine out of ten delegations of the Moscow format did not agree with this,” noted the special representative of the Russian President for Afghanistan. Kabulov added that Moscow, however, “respects the position of our partner and agreed with their proposal” not to sign the declaration.

Kabulov said that Moscow “is talking about ethno-religious inclusiveness, and the Taliban are only talking about ethnic inclusiveness.” Inclusiveness, that is, the inclusion of representatives of other ethno-religious groups in the government, is one of the conditions for recognition of the Taliban regime by the world community. Without resolving this issue, the Taliban will not be able to achieve their dream – international recognition, Kabulov believes.

“Yes, it is true that there are representatives of non-Pashtun ethnic groups in the Taliban government, but they are all members of the Taliban movements. This is a monopolitical organization. This is where we differ,” said the special representative of the Russian President. Representatives of the Shiite minority are not represented in the Taliban government.

According to Kabulov, the United States and other Western countries can productively solve the problems of Afghanistan only on regional platforms, one of which is the Moscow format. But first, the United States must unfreeze $7 billion in Afghan holdings that belonged to the former pro-American government. “This is a bad habit of stealing other people’s money, which began in Iran (in 1979 – Vedomosti), continued with Russia and ended in Afghanistan. This is turning into a chronic problem,” Kabulov said. Only if the Afghan reserves are unfrozen will Russia perceive the Americans as a partner in the settlement in the country, he noted.

One of the issues related to the prospects for recognizing the Taliban government and providing humanitarian assistance to the country is women’s rights, Kabulov recalled. At the meeting in Kazan, representatives of interested Middle Eastern countries – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Turkey, who are trying to influence the Taliban on this issue, were present as guests of honor.

“There is hope for a change in approach. It was Arab countries with an Islamic system of governance that reasonably explained to the current leaders of Afghanistan that the education of girls in school and universities and the work of women in no way contradict Sharia. In this case, they are great authorities in the interpretation of Sharia norms. But so far they have not been able to convince the Afghans,” Kabulov said. Although support for such an idea is widespread even among the Taliban leadership, in order to maintain unity, it refuses to change its current view of the problem.

Speaking about the threat of terrorism in modern Afghanistan, Kabulov said that on the part of Al-Qaeda (banned and recognized as terrorist in Russia) it is “exaggerated,” while on the part of the Islamic State it is quite real. “Under the previous government of Afghanistan, which was supported by the United States, “miraculously” the power of the Islamic State grew to 10,000 fighters, and the only ones who fought them were the Taliban. And this fight continues. The Taliban inflicted significant damage on them. It was thanks to the struggle of the Taliban authorities that IS did not become a serious threat, including on the scale of Central Asia,” he said.

According to Kabulov, external assistance is important for the physical survival of the Afghan people, given that the previous regime could only maintain a stable food situation thanks to external assistance. “In an effort to punish the Taliban, they [американцы] the entire Afghan people are being punished,” Kabulov said. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to provide food assistance to Kabul, if it requests it, remains in force.

Commenting on the already three-month work of the Russian business center in Kabul, Kabulov noted that “this was an initiative of Tatarstan entrepreneurs.” “We absolutely support it, it’s a move in the right direction. Let me remind you that an Afghan business center has been operating in Moscow for a long time, which includes many prominent Afghan entrepreneurs working both in Russia and collaborating with their historical homeland. This initiative must be allowed to unwind,” he said.

Kabulov recalled that Afghanistan has large reserves of lithium and copper, in the development of which China and Turkey are already investing. Russian business is not eager to go to Afghanistan due to concerns about security and poor infrastructure, Kabulov stated. According to him, the Afghan authorities are showing interest in the North-South international transport corridor and have active transport links with neighboring Iran, which is part of the ITC. “This will significantly facilitate and reduce the cost of logistics for the flow of goods from Afghanistan; all participants in the ITC will welcome the country’s connection to it,” Kabulov concluded.