Russia: We encourage the Taliban to talk to Karzai and Abdullah

Russia’s foreign minister said his country encouraged the Taliban to hold talks with Karzai and Abdullah because the talks would help bring more stability to Afghanistan.

“Karzai and Abdullah are prominent figures who have remained in Afghanistan and their talks with the Taliban can help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan,” Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister added: “Ensuring an ethnically-politically inclusive government was the responsibility of the Taliban after coming to power, and this was not only a condition of the international community, but also a promise made by the Taliban themselves when they came to power.”

Lavrov said an inclusive government in Afghanistan could lead to order and national security.

“Everything is not good in Afghanistan yet, because all members of the Taliban government are involved in political disputes despite ethnic coordination,” he said.