Moscow and New Delhi believe it’s too early to recognize the government of the Taliban (banned in Russia) in Afghanistan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told reporters on Monday, Trend reports citing TASS.
"Our positions are similar and identical in many respects," he said. "They boil down to the fact that now it is premature to talk about recognizing the current government in Kabul."
"We expect the current Afghan leadership to fulfill the obligations they have assumed, especially with regard to the inclusivity of the government and with regard to other measures, including in the human rights area," Vershinin went on to say, following consultations between the Russian and Indian foreign ministries held on Monday in New Delhi.
Even so, he said that Moscow and New Delhi consider it necessary to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of the country.
"It is clear that humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people should be provided, and it is being provided by both us and India," the diplomat said. "And it should be continued, for reasons including that the 20-year presence of the Americans and their allies in Afghanistan has caused the situation to become so deplorable these days, including from a humanitarian perspective," Vershinin said.