Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a press conference with the Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar in Moscow on Friday said the Taliban should enter meaningful talks and should reduce violence.
“Our main message to the Taliban is to resume meaningful dialogue as soon as possible, avoid further escalation of violence to reach to a conclusion and respect the decisions of the UN Security Council,” Lavrov said.
He stated that the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating and the violence needs to be stopped.
Lavrov noted that Moscow was in contact with other countries involved in Afghanistan.
Russian Foreign Minister cited that Moscow is ready to cooperate with the Islamic Republic of Iran, China and Pakistan for restoration of peace in Afghanistan.
He said Moscow has expressed concern over escalating tensions in Afghanistan over the rise of IS-K terrorist group.
“We are ready for talks to support achieving a solution in Afghanistan in cooperation with Pakistan, China and Iran,” he added.
In the meantime, Afghan Foreign Minister said that his Russian counterpart has agreed that the return of the Taliban’s regime is unacceptable.
“We welcome Russia’s position. The Taliban shouldn’t be removed from the sanctions list unless they abide by their commitments toward peace,” Atmar said at the event.
