IEA holds firm grip on Afghanistan which is crucial for Russia: Kabulov

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) holds a firm grip on Afghanistan which is crucial for Russia, Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special presidential representative for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asia Department, said.

“We believe that this government is holding consistent control over the country. This is fundamentally important for us,” Kabulov said on the Rossiya-24 television channel, TASS news agency reported. “As any disintegration of Afghanistan would have the most negative reverberations across the region.”.

Kabulov considers that Russia can cooperate with Afghanistan in exporting oil products and ensuring that country’s food security.

“Ensuring the basic essentials for the Afghan economy in the broad sense of this word. Of course, they are oil products, but far beyond that,” he said when asked what form of Russia’s economic cooperation with Afghanistan may be possible.

“Food security is also a [discussion] topic for the Afghan authorities in order to enhance cooperation, and to ensure the supplies of the most needed foodstuffs,” Kabulov added.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 27 that the initiative to remove the IEA from the list of terrorist organizations “reflects awareness of reality.” Kabulov told TASS earlier that Russia’s Foreign and Justice Ministries had briefed President Vladimir Putin that the IEA could be removed from the list of banned organizations.

On May 28, Putin emphasized the need to build relations with the IEA as they were in power in Afghanistan and controlled the country.