Russia Wants Taliban To Participate In SCO Meetings, Claims Group

The Iranian embassy stated that the two sides discussed establishing peace and preventing divisive foreign interventions in Afghanistan.

On Monday, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kabul wrote in a note on the X social media platform that Qomi and Xiaoyong also emphasised on the need to combat terrorism and the importance of strengthening the regional contact group initiative.

Qomi, who had served as Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan since October 2021, was dismissed from this role on Sunday, November 24.

The Iranian foreign ministry recently appointed Alireza Bikdeli as the ministry's new envoy for Afghanistan.

Iran and China maintain close relations with the Taliban government and have handed over Afghanistan's diplomatic missions in their countries to the Taliban.

Shoigu is the highest-ranking official from Moscow to visit Kabul since the Taliban came to power in August 2021.

Baradar’s office announced that the discussions during the meeting focused on political relations, economic cooperation, trade, transit, and investment.

According to Mullah Baradar’s office, the Russian official visited Kabul "under the directive" of Vladimir Putin and was accompanied by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Special Representative for Afghanistan.

Baradar emphasised during the meeting that Afghanistan’s foreign policy is centered on economic priorities. He highlighted that the country’s security and stability make it a hub for regional economic cooperation.

The Taliban reported that Shoigu promised to remove the Taliban from Moscow’s blacklist. Additionally, both parties agreed to establish a joint commission with various committees to enhance cooperation in trade, transit, and investment.

Relations between Russia and the Taliban have garnered attention since the group’s return to power. While Moscow has not formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government, it has maintained relations with the group for strategic and security reasons. Russia is also one of the few countries that has kept its embassy in Kabul operational and continues diplomatic engagements.

They also demanded that individuals involved in signing the agreement be brought to justice.

A group of exiled Afghan journalists in North America and Europe, in a letter addressed to Trump on Sunday, described the Doha Agreement as a facilitator of the Taliban’s domination of Afghanistan.

They pointed to the suppression of media and journalists, stating that since the Taliban took power, over 1,000 cases of violence against journalists have been documented in Afghanistan.

According to them, more than 4,000 Afghan journalists and media workers have left the country, while female journalists and media workers in Afghanistan face "dangerous and tense conditions" in their workplaces.

In their letter to Trump, they emphasised on the need to annul the Doha Agreement, stating that its cancellation could pave the way for compelling the Taliban to establish an inclusive and democratic government.

The Afghan journalists in exile, without naming any specific individual, urged Trump to ensure those involved in the agreement are prosecuted in international courts under global law.

The Doha Agreement was signed in 2020 between the Trump administration and the Taliban, aimed at facilitating the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad signed the agreement on behalf of the United States. Prior to the signing, Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, met with Abdul Ghani Baradar and shook hands with him.

Reports indicate that Trump had a phone conversation with Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Taliban delegation in Doha, regarding the agreement and even considered inviting him to Camp David.

Under the Doha Agreement, the Taliban pledged not to attack US forces until their withdrawal in 2021 and to negotiate with Afghan groups for the formation of a new government.

They said that the international community and UNAMA have not taken serious and effective action against the Taliban's "crimes against humanity" so far.

The Purple Saturdays Movement said in a statement on Monday, November 25, that the international community has used "behind-the-scenes diplomacy, under the guise of interaction and relations with the de facto government, to demorally reduce sanctions and pressures against the group based on its political and economic interests”.

The movement said that the Taliban has turned Afghanistan into a hell of systematic oppression and violence for Afghan women and girls over the past three years.

The Purple Saturdays Movement has criticised that despite repeated calls from human rights activists, women's rights groups, and protest movements, no decisive and serious steps have been taken to prosecute Taliban leaders.

These protesting women called on the international community and the United Nations General Assembly to fulfill their obligations towards women.

Tasmagambetov called the activities of terrorists in Afghanistan a serious problem and said that the plan to strengthen Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan will be approved on November 28.

In an interview with Belarusian STV, he said that the CSTO will approve the plan to strengthen Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan on November 28 at a meeting in Astana.

Tasmagambetov considered the adoption of this plan as a targeted programme among the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are members of the CSTO.

Tasmagambetov called the situation in Afghanistan for Central Asia worrisome, saying that the approval of the plan to strengthen Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan will allow CSTO member states to jointly guarantee the security of Central Asian countries.

The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) has repeatedly expressed concern about the security situation in Afghanistan over the past three years, and in this regard, it has held several military exercises on the territory of Tajikistan close to Afghanistan.

In January 2022, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon proposed the creation of a security belt around Afghanistan.