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Putin says Afghanistan is a serious security challenge for the region
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Afghanistan remains one of the most serious security challenges in the region.
Speaking at the sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday, he said despite two decades of US and NATO presence, Afghanistan has been unable to address terrorist threats.
He mentioned the attack on the Russian Embassy in Kabul on September 5 and said that such attacks in Afghanistan confirm that terrorism remains a major challenge in country.
Addressing the participants, Putin noted that to normalize the situation in Afghanistan, joint support to improve the economic situation of the country is needed.
“We want reparation for the losses caused to Afghans during the years of occupation and the release of illegally frozen reserves of Afghanistan,” he said.
CICA is an organization that has 27 member countries and eight other countries and five organizations as observer members.
Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, South Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam are permanent members of CICA.
However, Afghanistan’s representative was not present at this summit.
Meanwhile, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova, also called for the release of the frozen funds and said Washington was fully responsible for the crisis in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) does not consider the territory of Afghanistan to be a threat to any country, and insists that regional interaction and cooperation with the Islamic Emirate should be increased in order to alleviate the concerns of the countries in the region.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also addressed delegates and said ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan was critical in preventing migration and stemming terrorism.
“We should not leave Afghanistan to its fate. We, as the international community, should continue to support it with humanitarian aid,” Erdogan said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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