Peshawar:
From Russia’s point of view, the most dangerous international terrorist outfit is Daesh or IS-KP, but other militant groups have also been a serious danger for the region, such as TTP in Pakistan and ETIM in China, said special Russian shipping for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov on Tuesday.
In an exclusive interaction with L’Express PK Press Club, Kabulov said that Russia was on the same wavelength with Pakistan and China that the threat of these groups should not be underestimated and must be eliminated, otherwise, they could harm diplomatic links with Beijing and Islamabad.
“We have the information that Pakistan and China regularly complain about Emirat-E-Islami on TTP and ETIM. Although the Afghan regime still officially refuses it, we believe that the two fraternal countries should solve bilateral problems,” Kabulov said.
“We faced [Afghanistan] With the information according to which Islamabad has recorded complaints concerning TTP and ETIM or the jihadist group several times. We believe that the Afghan government should be assisted enough to help brake the threat of activism on Afghan soil, “he added.
The Afghan government is expected to solve such irritating problems with its amicable neighboring countries. “The Russian Federation is on the same wavelength with Pakistan and China that these irritating questions could harm diplomatic links with Beijing and Islamabad,” said Kabulov.
Citing in a declaration by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, that the presence of 23,000 foreign terrorists on Afghan soil was alarming, he said: “We believe that it is important that the Russian government has helped Afghanistan to brake this threat.”
The Russian special envoy said that the decision to recognize the Afghan Taliban government was based not only on economic or political considerations, but also to the consideration of security, because Moscow thought that the strengthening of the Kabul regime would help eliminate terrorism from Afghan soil.
“The main reason for the recognition of Emirat-E-Islami Afghan is Moscow’s desire to establish full-fledged political and economic links with the new Afghanistan authorities. It also aimed to guarantee the security problems of neighboring countries,” he said.
“The factors behind recognition are not only political, there are several reasons behind this decision,” said Kabulov. “”[It is about] Safeguarding Russian investments in Afghanistan. We want a secure environment for our investments. “”
Asked about the recognition of the Kabul regime by other countries, Kabulov admitted that it would not be an easy decision for the international community. In this regard, he referred to the reserves expressed by countries such as Pakistan, China, Iran, India and others.
He said China had not recognized Afghanistan officially, but had received their ambassador and accepted diplomatic skills. Pakistan has also raised the status of the Afghan envoy to the ambassador, who is a green light to recognition, he added.
However, he continued, Russia has adopted a more traditional way and began intergovernmental and interstate relations. The Russian special envoy supported the trilateral process between Pakistan, China and Afghanistan, but stressed that for the moment Moscow did not plan to join this process.
“We have no plan to be part of the tripartite process. Afghanistan is a common question of the Eurasian countries, they support Islamabad and Tehran on their approaches on the diplomatic front, which is no different from Moscow’s format,” he said.
“We believe that the consultations are fruitful in Afghanistan. We support these contacts of regional states in Afghanistan,” he said. “We believe that the establishment of economic and political ties with Afghanistan will decrease terrorist threats.”
Answering another question about the advantages that Moscow would have recognizing the Afghan Taliban regime, Kabulov thought that at present, it would be too early to measure the advantages, stressing that the outcome of any diplomatic commitment takes years.
Russia and Afghanistan can take advantage of mutual benefits, including economic growth and progress in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Thus, in the coming years, he added: “We would jointly assess the advantages of the two countries”.
Kabulov stressed that Russian investment in Afghanistan would also benefit its immediate neighbors, Iran and Pakistan. He stressed that Afghanistan had an important geographical location in the region. “Pakistan will also benefit from Russian investment in the region.”
The Russian envoy supported Chinese projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Chinese projects will develop the economy of Pakistan,” he said, referring to the Chinese-Pakistani economic corridor (CPEC). “I heard that Kabul also welcomes such offers from Beijing. We have supported such China projects.”
In the end, according to Kabulov, Afghanistan would benefit the most from the CPEC project, because the country served as a bridge between the states of South Asia and Central Asia and to the Eurasian nations. Russia has called the CPEC as a positive economic commitment, he said.
The envoy expressed his sorrow on deaths in the earthquake in five provinces of Afghanistan. He expressed condolences to the Afghan government on the loss of human life and human suffering due to the natural disaster that struck on Sunday.
Speaking about the repatriation of Afghan refugees, he explained that Russia and Afghanistan have relations on a bilateral basis; Consequently, Kabul had not discussed refugee problems with Moscow. However, he said Russian investment would help create jobs in Afghanistan.
