ANKARA, TURKEY
In a phone call, the top Russian and US diplomats on Monday discussed the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control of the country’s capital, Kabul.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “discussed the situation in Afghanistan after the flight of the head of state from the country, the collapse of the current government, and a de facto regime change taking place,” said a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
According to the statement, Blinken told Lavrov “about the US administration’s measures in the context of the evacuation of US Embassy staff and the solution of urgent humanitarian tasks arising from the current situation.”
Lavrov informed his counterpart about Russia’s view of the situation and the Russian Embassy’s contacts with all parties in Afghanistan to ensure stability and law and order, the statement said.
The two top diplomats agreed to continue consultations with the participation of representatives of China, Pakistan, other concerned countries, and the UN in order to help create the prerequisites for initiating an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue in the new conditions, it added.
The Taliban entered Kabul on Sunday and took control of Afghanistan for the first time in almost 20 years after US-led foreign forces occupied the country in 2001.
With the collapse of the Afghan government, the safety of Afghan civilians and evacuees are now in the spotlight.
