MOSCOW: Russian President Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday their countries would intensify efforts to counter “threats” emerging from Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the international community must maintain dialogue with the group if it wanted to guard “improvements made” within the country during 20 years of Nato deployment there.
According to the Kremlin, during a call the Russian and Chinese leaders “expressed their readiness to intensify efforts to combat threats of terrorism and drug traffic coming from the territory of Afghanistan”.
They also spoke of the “importance of building peace” in Afghanistan and “preventing the spread of instability to adjacent regions”.
Putin and Xi “agreed to accentuate bilateral contacts” and “make the foremost of the potential” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that’s thanks to convene a summit in Tajikistan next month.
Several ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia — where Moscow holds military bases — share a border both with Afghanistan and China.
While Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul, Putin has warned of Afghan militants entering neighbouring countries as refugees.
Putin has also criticised the involvement of out of doors powers in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs and said Moscow had “learnt lessons” from the Soviet Union’s decade-long invasion of the country.
For its part, after the Taliban swept to power on Aug 15, China said it’s able to deepen “friendly and cooperative relations” with Afghanistan.
According to the Chinese media, the 2 leaders didn’t echo the G7’s involve the Taliban to permit people to escape the country after Aug 31, as desperate crowds left behind by the withdrawal folks troops still fear for his or her safety.
China and Russia aren’t a part of the G7, a grouping of rich democracies that has the us and Britain. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the us expected to end evacuations by Aug 31. and therefore the Taliban said all foreign evacuations from the country must be completed by then.
However, the G7 leaders agreed on Tuesday to press the Taliban to permit safe passage to Afghans eager to leave after Aug 31.
In the call with Putin, Xi reiterated China’s position of non-interference and of respecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty and independence, China’s People’s Daily reported.
The report said Putin told Xi he shared China’s positions and interests in Afghanistan and he was willing to figure with China to “prevent foreign forces from interfering and destroying” Afghanistan.
Xi urged all parties in Afghanistan to create an open and inclusive political framework, implement moderate, stable policies and cut ties with all terrorist groups.
Putin said Russia wanted to figure with China to fight terrorism and drug smuggling and to stop the safety risks from “spilling out” of Afghanistan.
Dialogue with Taliban
In a speech to parliament, the German chancellor said: “Our goal must be to preserve the maximum amount as possible what we’ve achieved in terms of changes in Afghanistan within the last 20 years. this is often something the international community must mention with the Taliban.”
Progress remodeled the years includes access to basic necessities — 70 per cent of Afghans now have access to beverage as against 20pc a decade ago. And nine in 10 people have electricity supplies, up from just two in 10 in 2011.
The fact that the Taliban are back in power is “bitter but we’ve to affect it,” Angela Merkel said. “Many things in history take an extended time. that’s why we must not and can not forget Afghanistan,” she said.
“Because albeit it doesn’t appear as if it during this bitter hour, I remain convinced that no force or ideology can resist the drive for justice and peace,” said Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany but saw the regime collapse in 1989.