MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. The Taliban movement (banned in Russia) has called on the international community to recognize Afghanistan’s interim government that they formed, Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy prime minister of Afghanistan’s interim government, said at a regular round of talks on Afghanistan in Moscow on Wednesday.
"We call on the international community to recognize the current government of Afghanistan. Our people have their first-ever inclusive government. Our people hope that the international community will be officially cooperating with its cabinet of ministers. Afghanistan’s isolation is not in anyone’s interests. And this has been proven in the past," he said, as cited by the Afghan news agency Khaama Press.
According to Hanafi, "the current Afghan government has been able to safeguard the stability of governance in every corner of the country for the first time after more than 40 years of war and devastation." He pointed out that Afghanistan can now boast "a political system with a clear hierarchy and a single military command."
"The Afghan government is prepared to answer any questions of the international community with all possible clarity, transparency and openness. We confirm that the situation in Afghanistan is stable and no threat will emanate from our territory to both nearby and distant states," the deputy prime minister of the interim government added.
Additionally, Hanafi again urged the United States to unfreeze the reserves of Afghanistan’s Central Bank, which is about $9.4 billion.
"This is the wealth of all Afghans, and our suffering people should not pay the price for political disagreements. As the previous events have demonstrated, putting pressure on us cannot bring about any results," Hanafi concluded.
The Moscow format was established in 2017, based on a six-party consultation mechanism of the special envoys of Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, China and Pakistan.
Afghanistan crisis
The Taliban (outlawed in Russia) mounted a massive operation to regain control over Afghanistan after the United States announced the withdrawal of its military personnel from the country this spring.
On August 15, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, as Taliban forces swept into Kabul, without encountering any resistance. On September 6, they claimed full control of Afghanistan’s territory and on September 7, declared a new interim government. It is formed by Taliban members only, who mostly represent the biggest ethnic group in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns.
Following this, many countries said that such a government could not be considered as inclusive and called on the Taliban to include delegates from ethnic and religious minorities, as well as women into it.