Russia hosts Afghan talks, calls for an inclusive government

MOSCOW — Russia hosted talks on Afghanistan on Wednesday involving senior representatives of the Taliban and neighboring nations, a round of diplomacy that underlined Moscow’s clout in Central Asia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the talks and emphasized that “forming a really inclusive government fully reflecting the interests of not only all ethnic groups but all political forces of the country” is necessary to achieve a stable peace in Afghanistan, a nation of 39 million. Abdul Salam Hanafi, a deputy prime minister in the Taliban’s interim government who attended Wednesday’s talks, said “the meeting is very important for stability of the entire region.” In a conclusive statement, the participants in the talks noted that “further practical engagement with Afghanistan needed to take into account the new reality, that is the Taliban coming to power in the country, irrespective of the official recognition of the new Afghan government by the international community.” “Participating countries call on the current Afghan leadership to take further steps to improve governance and to form a truly inclusive government that adequately reflects the interests of all major ethno-political forces in the country,” they said, stressing the need for the Afghan leadership to “respect the rights of ethnic groups, women and children.” The talks’ participants called for an international donor conference under the auspices of the United Nations, “with the understanding that the core burden of post-conflict. “There is a real danger of terrorism and drugs spilling into the neighboring nations under the guise of migration.” Russia’s top diplomat urged the Taliban “not to allow the territory of Afghanistan used against the interests of any third countries, primarily its neighbors, our friends and allies in Central Asia.” Russia has vowed to provide military assistance to its ex-Soviet allies in Central Asia to help counter the threats, and held joint drills in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which neighbor Afghanistan.