MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Russia will proceed from the reality on the ground in regards to the recognition of the Taliban government (the Taliban radical movement is outlawed in Russia) and strive for a consolidated stance of the international community on this issue, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference on Thursday.
In response to a question on the prospects of the recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Russian leader pointed out that Moscow would proceed from the actual situation and "from the fact that the forces that are now at the helm in Afghanistan should be prepared for all ethnic groups to be represented in the country’s leadership."
"As for the recognition, we are working in a consolidated way with all the participants of international interaction. We have our position - we will strive for this decision to be a consolidated one," he emphasized.
The Russian president assured that he would like relations between Moscow and Kabul to be shaped "in the best possible way." "I mean our mutual interests in stabilizing the situation in the region," he explained. "This is not an idle issue for us because we have open borders with Central Asian republics, the former republics of the Soviet Union, and, of course, the potential incursion of some extremist elements there cannot but cause us certain alarm and concerns," he pointed out.
Putin also noted that an "enormous volume of drugs" is still being distributed from Afghan territory. "This also cannot but concern us," he added.
After the Biden administration had announced the end of Washington’s 20-year-long military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces.
On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country. On September 6, the Taliban declared a complete victory in Afghanistan and on September 7 formed an interim government that hasn’t yet been officially recognized by any country.