The West Has Expectations from Russia, India, and China about Afghanistan

by Sami Burgaz
By Ulviye Filiyeva ERKEC
Within days, the lightning-fast collapse of the pro-American government of Afghanistan overshadowed all other world events.

In London, it was decided to create an international contact group for interaction with the new authorities of Afghanistan. The West, disturbed by the situation, invited Russia, China, and India to the contact group about Afghanistan.

As British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has stated, in order to “soften” the Taliban, the West will have to “get the support of countries like Russia and China, even if they do not want to”.

“We will include countries that can have a peaceful impact on the situation, such as Russia and China, in the talks on Afghanistan, however unfavorable. England launched a meeting of the UN Security Council this week in hopes of creating a contact group about Afghanistan. If we want to have a maximum peaceful impact on the Taliban, we need to work with India, Pakistan, China, and other countries that are concerned about terrorism and refugees.”

Rominic Raab

How effective can this be? Orientalist Said Gafurov says: “In fact, the British are signaling their readiness to cooperate with the Russian Foreign Ministry, Beijing and Delhi. However, how things will develop is still unclear. Can the British influence these countries? They can, but not quite.”

On the other hand, Sergei Ermakov, an expert at the Defense Research Center Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, says that participation in the contact group serves Russia’s interests and will allow it to control the situation: “The Afghanistan problem, of course, exists for us as well. Considering that our allies are directly adjacent to the Afghan borders, we have 201 military bases on the territory of Tajikistan. We are and will be involved in the solution of the Afghan problem in every way. As for the West, let’s call them “partners”, so how much do we need them in solving this problem? There are indeed elements and opportunities for political bargaining.”

The Taliban, believe they have “very good” relations with Russia, China, and Pakistan.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, at the weekend, also spoke on the issue of the immigration of Afghan refugees. Noting that the situation is “directly related to the security” of Russia, the President said, “The authorities will discuss the issue at the CSTO summit so that various elements that need to be fought outside the Russian Federation do not enter the country.”

On August 23, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov made a statement that “The issue of sending military units to Afghanistan is not on Russia’s agenda. The Taliban do not need any military support from anyone. Such a step would not serve our interests. In addition, the new Afghan authorities have begun to restore order in the country.”

The very near future will show how events in the region will develop.

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