How Russia’s special Afghan envoy wants to save the struggling peace process
A Taliban delegation holds a press conference after a meeting with Zamir Kabulov. PHOTO: AFP
How Russia’s special Afghan envoy wants to save the struggling peace process
Russia has a tangible incentive to see its diplomatic initiatives in Afghanistan succeed
Russian Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov gave an exclusive interview to publicly financed Sputnik about his plan to save the country’s struggling peace process. He was
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Although Russia officially designated the Taliban as a terrorist organisation, this hasn’t precluded the country from pragmatically engaging with the group on a political basis in order to incorporate it into the peace process. To this end, Moscow even hosted the Taliban on several occasions. These events were extremely symbolic considering the fact that the Taliban grew out of the 1980s Mujahidin movement that was formed to fight against the Soviet military during Moscow’s ultimately disastrous intervention there during the last decade of the Old Cold War. This proves just how much Russia’s geostrategic calculus has changed in the years since. Instead of aspiring to regain its lost superpower status, Moscow’s 21st-century grand strategic ambition is to become the supreme “balancing” force in Eurasia, which explains its recent cooperation with a slew of non-traditional partners such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan.