Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan Extend Hands to Taliban Now in Control of Afghanistan

As the Taliban‘s takeover of Afghanistan shakes the international community’s commitment to the country, regional powers Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan continue to maintain their embassies in Kabul while expressing their willingness to work with its new leaders.

Just as the Taliban was getting settled in the capital, the Russian ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov met with the group on Tuesday to discuss embassy security. Following his talks, he spoke highly of a group he said was conducting itself “in a responsible and civilized manner” since its largely peaceful capture of Kabul.

“They want to be sure there will be no provocations, to avoid shooting,” Zhirnov said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 outlet. “Because practically everyone possesses weapons, even teenagers. It looks like they are afraid that should anything happen not through their fault it may cast a shadow on them as masters of the situation. They don’t conceal it.”

Speaking in Kaliningrad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also saw “a positive signal” from the Taliban, specifically in the infamously hardline group’s public commitments to respecting the views of others.

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