LONDON, August 30. /TASS/. The UK thinks that Russia and China may have the opportunity to influence the new government in Kabul and recognizes the necessity of joint work with Moscow and Beijing on the Afghan track, diplomatic sources told a TASS correspondent on Sunday.
"We recognize the need to work with Russia and China given their potential ability to influence the new Afghan government and our collective interests in countering terrorism and narcotics, preventing a refugee crisis and averting further economic collapse," the sources said, reiterating the efforts undertaken by the UK at the UN in order to shape a unified position of the UN Security Council (Russia, the UK, China, the US and France) on Afghanistan.
As the sources reiterated, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres intends to hold a meeting with the permanent members of the UN Security Council on Monday on this subject. It should begin around 18:00 (01:00 Moscow time on August 31).
Simultaneously, the UK is working with France and the US on convincing their colleagues in the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution that would send a clear message to the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) on standing by their commitment to safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans with travel authorization from third countries and on preventing Afghanistan from becoming a base for terrorists. According to London, it is also necessary to note the importance of enabling humanitarian access to Afghanistan in order for UN staff to continue their humanitarian work in a safe environment.
According to the diplomatic sources, "the draft resolution has been under negotiation amongst UNSC members over the weekend with the aim of adopting it early this week."
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. At present, Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff. The Taliban instructed all foreign forces to leave the country by August 31, otherwise their presence will be considered as occupation.