Page 34 - bne magazine September 2021_20210901

34 I Afghanistan falls to the Taliban bne September 2021
Chairman of the Supreme Council
of National Reconciliation, with the participation of Hamid Karzai, the former President of Afghanistan, and with the participation of the Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Hekmatyar, " Lavrov said at a press conference following talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Government of National Unity (PNU) of Libya, Najla Mankush.
He added that Moscow proceeds from the fact that all members of this group have announced their desire to meet and negotiate in the interests of the Afghan people.
“I am convinced that the Moscow format has the greatest prospect, since the situ- ation has already acquired a regional dimension. Neighboring countries
and countries that are located further from Afghanistan are responding to it,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
He recalled that all five Central Asian states, China , Pakistan , India , the United States , Iran , Russia and the Afghan conflicting parties partici- pate in the "Moscow format" .
In the meantime Russia has offered to help with the international evacu- ation of the country. Russia is ready to provide civil planes to evacuate
diplomats, military and civilians from Afghanistan, to say nothing about Afghan nationals who cooperated with them, and their families who want to leave the country but have no possibility, we would like to say the following: In order to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, we are ready to provide the services of Russian civil aviation to ensure the flight of any number of Afghan nationals, including women and children, to whichever foreign countries will
show an interest in receiving and accommodating them," the diplomat said.
"Representatives of the new authori- ties in Afghanistan have assured us that there are no fundamental obstacles
for the arrival in Kabul and departure of Russian civil aircraft. The safety of the planes, their crews and passengers is guaranteed," the diplomat added.
Chess pieces being laid out
as new Great Game starts
With the US withdrawal since the president of Afghanistan fled the country and Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15 Russia and China are now positioned in regions as the major powers. While nominally allies there is still a rivalry between Beijing and Moscow in Central Asia.
With a military base in Tajikistan and a proactive security agenda, Russia
been the major investor in the region, pouring billions into infrastructure projects and securing access to raw materials through joint investments. As bne IntelliNews reported, China is particularly interested in Afghanistan’s lithium and other mineral deposits.
Both Moscow and Beijing have already gone out of their way to keep relations with the incoming Taliban government friendly, but now Moscow is attempting to take control of the political process that has to begin once the Taliban form a new government.
Lavrov also welcome the promises
for a more lenient and forgiving Taliban regime that the Taliban spokesman laid out at the groups
first press conference this week. However, there is a great deal so scepticism as there are continuing reports of killing and beatings from the other cities in the regions. Two journalists were reportedly badly beaten in Kabul on August 19 and
the famous female anchor-woman
of TOTO news, one of the leading outlets in the country, was told, “the regime has changed. Go home,” when she turned up for work yesterday.
“Russia will in every possible way encourage dialogue between the Taliban and other political forces in Afghanistan and seek to translate it into concrete deeds,” Lavrov said.
Russia is interested in developing
its influence in Central Asia as it has
a shared interest in opening up the region to trade in SE Asia as an export route for its energy as it anticipates falling demand for oil and gas in Western Europe as part of the EU’s Green Deal in the coming decade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
is also trying to develop his Eurasia Economic Union (EEU) as a facsimile of the EU which he hopes to eventually tie up with to form
a single trade block from “Lisbon
to Vladivostok” as a geopolitical counter to China’s inevitable rise.
“In order to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, we are ready to provide the services of Russian civil aviation to ensure the flight of any number of Afghan nationals”
Afghan nationals who want to leave the country to any other state, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakha- rova told a briefing on August 19.
"In the light of the situation that we now see at the airport of Kabul and the inability of some Western countries
to arrange the evacuation of their
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has already deployed troops on the Afghan-Tajik border and has started month-long military exercises with the Uzbeks last week to bolster
the military presence on the Afghan-Uzbek border.
China has let Russia take the lead as far as security is concerned but it has