Putin Says Russia Needs to Work with Taliban

Russian President Vladimir Putin said, on Friday, the Afghan government formed by the Taliban is not representative and inclusive, but it is essential to work with it.

"The Taliban movement, having actually become the country’s sole master, formed its government, which assumed responsibility for Afghanistan’s future,” Putin stated at a joint meeting of the leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

“This is an interim government, as the Taliban themselves say, and it cannot be really called representative or inclusive," Putin mentioned, adding that there are no members of other ethnic groups in it.

The Russian leader asserted that “it is necessary to work with it too”, stressing that they need to coordinate our stance on the issue.

Furthermore, he believes it would be optimal to foster the dialogue "through the mechanism of the extended troika on Afghanistan, this work is already in progress."

The Russian leader also cited the previous Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan that involved other countries of the SCO and the CSTO. “Its work can be revived if necessary and if all its member states agree.”

In addition, the president mentioned his proposal to explore the possibility of resuming the activities of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, "which was set up to work with Afghan partners."