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On October 20, Russia will invite the Taliban to Moscow for international negotiations, according to news agency AFP, citing other sources.
Russia’s foreign minister declared earlier this month that Russia, China, Pakistan, and the US are collaborating to ensure that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers keep their promises, particularly to construct a truly representative government and prevent extremism from spreading.
According to Sergey Lavrov, the four countries communicate on a daily basis. Representatives from Russia, China, and Pakistan recently travelled to Qatar and then to Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, to meet with Taliban and representatives from “secular authorities” — former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who led the ousted government’s negotiating council with the Taliban, according to him.
According to Lavrov, the Taliban’s interim administration does not represent “the entire gamut of Afghan society — ethnoreligious and political groups,” thus “we are participating in contacts.” They’re still going on.”
The Taliban have promised a more inclusive government and a more modest form of Islamic rule than they did when they ruled the country from 1996 to 2001, including respect for women’s rights, stability after 20 years of war, fighting terrorism and extremism, and preventing militants from attacking from their territory.
Recent actions, however, indicate that they may be reverting to more repressive practises, particularly in regard to women and girls.
