Engagement With Taliban Is Informal, Says Russian Envoy

Bakhtiyar Hakimov, Russia’s Representative for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) affairs, in a press conference said that the Taliban has not been recognised for objective reasons, and engagements with the group are “informal”.

The 23rd summit of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held virtually on Tuesday and member states discussed Afghanistan too.

The Taliban criticised that they were not invited to the SCO summit.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Taliban's foreign ministry called the absence of Afghanistan’s representatives during such meetings as an obstacle to comprehensive coordination to prevent instability and drug trafficking, support humanitarian assistance, implementation of infrastructural projects, and facilitate regional economic initiatives.

The Taliban asked the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to facilitate the participation of the group in the upcoming SCO meeting which is scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has not yet reacted to the Taliban’s demands and criticism.

However, at the SCO summit on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the organisation remains focused on Afghanistan, as the situation in the country continues to be tense.