Lavrov: Taliban-Pakistan Dispute Should Not Become a “Tragedy”

DID Press: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the dispute between the Taliban and Pakistan and the failure to issue a joint statement at the eighth Moscow Format meeting as an “unpleasant” development, but said it should not be turned into a “tragedy.”

Speaking at a joint news conference with the foreign minister of Timor-Leste in Moscow, Lavrov said the roots of the disagreement between the Taliban and Pakistan were predictable. He attributed the current tensions primarily to the activities of Islamic State (ISIS) and affiliated groups, which he said carry out terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Lavrov also stressed the need to prevent countries outside the region from interfering in regional geopolitical affairs. He linked the emergence of ISIS to the U.S. intervention in Iraq and claimed that new terrorist groups emerged following NATO’s intervention in Libya.

The Russian foreign minister said he was confident that both the Taliban and Pakistan want to normalize their relations and that Russia supports efforts toward normalization.

The eighth Moscow Format meeting ended on October 5 without a joint statement after the Afghan and Pakistani delegations failed to agree on the wording of the final document, particularly references linking Afghanistan to terrorism. Russian special envoy Zamir Kabulov said Moscow regretted the disagreement but stressed that the Moscow Format could continue without a joint statement.

Kabulov also said participants had called on both sides to refrain from military action and expressed readiness to facilitate a political and diplomatic solution. Russia has said it is prepared to assist in ending the conflict if both sides formally request its involvement.