Russia supports dialogue in Afghanistan over resistance in Panjshir — Lavrov

MOSCOW, August 19. /TASS/. Moscow advocates a nationwide dialogue among all opposing groups in Afghanistan against the background of reports of the resistance to the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) in Panjshir, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Thursday. The Russian top diplomat noted that the Taliban movement has not yet taken full control of all Afghanistan. "There are reports on the situation in the Panjshir Gorge where the resistance forces of Afghanistan’s Vice President Mr. [Amrullah] Saleh and Ahmad Massoud are concentrated. But that only makes our position more consistent: and in a situation where all of Afghanistan was engulfed in civil war, we supported the necessity of an immediate transition to national dialogue with the participation of all opposing Afghan forces, of all ethno-religious Afghan groups, just like now, when the Taliban essentially took power in Kabul, in the majority of other cities, in the majority of Afghanistan’s provinces; we still support the same, national dialogue which will make it possible to shape a representative government and then it, together with the support of the people of Afghanistan, will develop agreements on a final settlement for this long-suffering country," he said. On February 14, 2003, the Russian Supreme Court declared the Taliban to be a terrorist organization and its activities are outlawed nationwide. Read more