Dialogue with Afghanistan should be free from pressure, blackmail — Russia’s UN envoy

UNITED NATIONS, September 17. /TASS/. Russia favors a comprehensive approach to Afghanistan, which envisages a trust-based dialogue with its authorities and is free from the language of pressure and blackmail, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"Russia has consistently championed the development of a realistic comprehensive approach vis-a-vis Afghanistan," he told the UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. Such an approach is supposed to be grounded in objective analysis, a balanced assessment of the situation in the country, genuinely constructive engagement by the international community on the Afghan issue, full consideration of the needs of the Afghan people themselves, and a trust-based dialogue with the authorities covering all outstanding issues. This dialogue must be fully free from the language of pressure and blackmail."

The Russian envoy went on to say that "such a comprehensive approach is shared by all regional actors barring none," particularly by the participants in the Moscow Format and its regional "Quartet."

"We are heartened by the fact that the focus on pragmatic engagement with the Taliban also forms part of the "mosaic approach" articulated by UNAMA [the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan], including when it comes to securing diplomatic representation, lifting sanctions and unfreezing assets," Nebenzya continued. "Selective and biased approaches, as well as a fixation on human rights aspects - which is of particular interest to a certain group of Western donors - will lead nowhere."