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Developments in Afghanistan

Removal of restrictions from Afghanistan depends on steps of its authorities — envoy

When building interaction with the government of the Taliban, Russia complies with all existing norms of international and national law

MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The complete removal of all existing restrictions from Afghanistan depends on concrete steps of the current government of that country, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan, director of the Foreign Ministry’s second Asian department Zamir Kabulov, told TASS on Monday.

"All existing restrictions in this regard could be fully removed by concrete steps of the new government in Kabul aimed at the completion of the inter-Afghan peace process and formation of an ethnically and politically balanced power structure, as well as by unrelenting efforts on combating terrorism and the drug threat," he said.

Kabulov also stressed that Russia, when building interaction with the government of the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) in Afghanistan, complies with all existing norms of international and national law.

"When we build practical cooperation with the new Afghan authorities, of course, we observe all the requirements of both international and domestic national legislation. First of all, they relate to the Taliban defendants on the UN Security Council sanctions list - specific individuals who are subject to financial and other restrictions," the high-ranking diplomat noted.

However, in order to promote the process of national reconciliation and also to provide humanitarian assistance to the Afghan population, the member countries of the UN Security Council, including the Russian Federation, "demonstrate a certain flexibility by adopting resolutions that authorize exceptions to the rules in matters of restrictions," Kabulov said.

The Taliban launched a large-scale operation to take control of the country's entire territory after the Biden administration, in April, announced its decision to pull out US troops. On August 15, Taliban militants swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance. Subsequently, then Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. On September 7, the Taliban unveiled the composition of Afghanistan's new government. So far, the legitimacy of this government has not been recognized by any state.

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Afghanistan Power transfer in Afghanistan

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