UNITED NATIONS, June 22. /TASS/. The deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan amid the withdrawal of foreign forces causes ever growing concerns, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Anna Yevstigneyeva said during the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan Tuesday.

"Today’s meeting takes place amid the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, announced on April 14. The degrading situation causes ever growing concerns," she said. "The balance of power today does not look promising. Violence is rampant across the country."

"Just like twenty years ago, the terrorist threat remains a serious challenge" in Afghanistan," she said, adding that the "situation with drug production and drug trafficking" also causes concerns.

"In this regard, we note with regret that the peace process has stalled. We see that attempts to organize an international meeting were unsuccessful," the Russian envoy said. According to Yevstigneyeva, "the success depends on the scrupulous work with all sides."

The Afghan authorities and the Taliban movement have been engaging in a peace dialogue in Qatar’s Doha since September 12 last year. However, earlier this year, negotiations stalled and later entered an effective stalemate. On April 14, 2021, US President Joe Biden announced his plans to begin withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan, which should end by September 11. This decision contradicted previous Washington’s decision to fully withdraw its troops by May 1, 2021. Such discrepancy sparked strong criticism from the Taliban, who claimed that they now consider themselves free from all previous obligations.