MOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has pointed out during the talks with the delegation of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) political office in Moscow that Russia is concerned by the recent escalation of tensions in the northern part of Afghanistan, calling to avoid its spread outside of the republic.
"During the meeting, they discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the prospects of launching inter-Afghan talks. The Russian side has expressed concern in relation to the escalation of tensions in the northern districts of Afghanistan, calling to avoid its spread outside of the country," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published after the consultations on Thursday.
The Taliban has assured Russia that they would not violate the borders of Central Asian states, guaranteeing the "safety of diplomatic and consular missions of foreign states on the territory of Afghanistan."
"They stressed the group’s resolve to fight the ISIL threat (former name of the Islamic State, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia — TASS) in Afghanistan and eradicate drug production on the country’s territory after the end of the civil war," the ministry said.
On July 5, the press center of Tajikistan’s border service reported that after the clashes with Taliban supporters, over 1,000 Afghan troops retreated to the territory of the republic. In the past two weeks, there have been several cases of Afghan troops retreating to Tajik territory. The press center noted that the Afghan troops were allowed to enter Tajikistan due to the principle of good neighborliness and non-interference in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs.