By Breitbart News Network | Created at 2026-10-06 15:21:41 | Updated at 2026-10-07 19:45:49
1 day ago
The government of Russia held another edition on Monday of its semi-regular “Moscow format” Central Asian talks that seek to integrate the jihadist government of Afghanistan into the region, celebrating the allegedly “successful” rule of the Taliban.
Russia is the only country to fully recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since the terrorists stormed Kabul and forced the legitimate government of the country out of power in August 2021, a result of the disastrous decision by then-President Joe Biden of extending the 20-year-old Afghan War beyond the May 2021 deadline brokered by his predecessor and successor, Donald Trump.
Other countries – mostly rogue states such as China and Iran – recognize the Taliban as an “interim” government, creating the expectation that something more permanent will take its place in some future. A third group of countries – including India, several Central Asian countries, and, notoriously, European Union states – have engaged the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan, offering de facto recognition without officially accepting the reality of the Taliban’s uncontested rule of the country. The Taliban claims to be operating over 40 embassies and consulates around the world.
The Russian government brought together 11 countries on Monday to meet with Taliban officials and discuss diplomacy to find a peaceful way forward with the Taliban in place. In addition to Russia itself, those participating included Iran, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Representatives from Belarus and Egypt attended as unofficial participants in the “Moscow format.”
RELATED: Exclusive — Dr. Sebastian Gorka Explains Trump’s Anti-Terrorism Strategy, Active Theaters of Action
Speaking at the event, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban for its allegedly positive governance – dismissing the widespread documentation of political, religious, and gender persecution. The Taliban forces upon the Afghan people a fundamentalist interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, more repressive than almost any other similar government, one that has almost entirely banned girls’ and women’s education, outlaws women leaving their homes unless they have a valid emergency reason, and even micromanages where inside their own homes women can stand.
“The national government that came to power, led by the Taliban movement, has brought the country’s territory under control and, one must admit, is governing it quite successfully,” Lavrov assessed, according to the Russian news agency Tass. Lavrov especially applauded the jihadist terrorists for allegedly effectively eliminating other terrorist groups.
“Hundreds of militants have been destroyed, with a number of high-profile terrorist attacks foiled, including those targeting foreign citizens and diplomatic missions,” Lavrov alleged.
Lavrov also insisted that Russia would never again allow the presence of NATO troops in Afghanistan, as it had been during the post-September 11 war, as well as any other “neighboring countries.” To strengthen Afghanistan and prevent such a scenario, he encouraged other participants in the meeting to help the Taliban reinforce its “counterterrorism” capabilities.
That call was a challenging one for those assembled, particularly Pakistan, which has been engaging in on-and-off military conflict with the Taliban. Pakistani officials accuse Afghanistan of harboring Pakistani Taliban jihadists, belonging to a separate group from the Afghan Taliban but one with an almost identical political and religious ideology. Pakistani officials declared “open war” on Afghanistan in February, which resulted in both countries intermittently bombing each other throughout the past year, with neither escalation nor resolution.
The situation with Pakistan reportedly prevented the assembled parties from signing onto a joint statement.
RELATED: What’s “Immoral” to the Taliban Islamists?
According to Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, “our Afghan and Pakistani colleagues didn’t see eye to eye,” which prevented the signing of a joint statement. The Taliban representatives at the event allegedly complained that the proposed joint statement dwelled for too long on jihadist terrorism in the country.
“Our Afghan colleagues felt that this year, in the text [of the draft joint statement], Afghanistan was mentioned too often in a terrorist context,” Kabulov shared with Tass. “To be honest, this surprised us, because the same wording and expressions were used in last year’s text, [after] the seventh meeting. Nevertheless, the Afghans believe that the situation in bilateral relations has changed since then, and this year this statement is unacceptable.”
Taliban “foreign minister” Amir Khan Muttaqi notably de-emphasized terrorism concerns during his address to the forum, instead elevating his government’s interest in attracting foreign investment. According to the Afghan news network Tolo News, Muttaqi “told the eighth meeting of the Moscow Format on Afghanistan that the country seeks to become a key hub for economic cooperation and connectivity between Central and South Asia and other regions, rather than an arena for regional rivalries.”
“He called on regional countries to increase investment in Afghanistan’s energy, mining, agriculture, industry, transit, logistics and infrastructure sectors,” Tolo added.
Muttaqi also encouraged countries to follow Russia’s lead and fully recognize the Taliban as a government entity, as well as pursue “dialogue and diplomacy” with the Taliban, particularly Pakistan.
