"The situation is persistently unstable"

- Alexander Vikentevich, how can we briefly describe the security situation in Afghanistan?

- Just a few days ago, the Taliban Movement (DT) * announced the start of the next spring-summer combat campaign, this year called Al-Fatah. Following this, actions against the Afghan national security forces were intensified in various parts of the country by the armed opposition.

The army and police are resisting the pressure of the enemy, but against such a background it is difficult to talk about the normalization of the situation in this country. The situation is still steadily unstable.

  • Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Afghanistan Alexander Mantytsky
  • © afghanistan.mid.ru

- The proposal for a direct dialogue between the government of the IRA and the Taliban movement has been discussed for a long time, but there is no peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, blood is still being shed. What actions are being taken now to normalize the situation in the country?

- We see that in recent months, efforts to advance the peace process in Afghanistan have noticeably intensified. To date, there have already been five rounds of talks between the US delegation, led by the special representative of the US State Department for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban Movement office in Doha. Today, as we know, the greatest progress is only in the first of the four main aspects discussed - the Taliban’s refusal to support terrorist organizations in the territory under their control.

The issue of the timing of the withdrawal of US and NATO military contingents from Afghanistan is in the stage of active discussion. With the third and fourth aspects - the negotiations of the Afghan government with DT, as well as the announcement of a truce between the warring parties, the situation is more complicated. The Taliban continues to set the condition for starting a dialogue with official Kabul, the withdrawal of foreign military from the country.

- Maybe Afghans are easier to negotiate without intermediaries? The upcoming meeting of the government delegation and the Taliban in Doha and the Loya Jirga (All-Afghan Council ) in Kabul can turn the tide?

- Yes, a dialogue between the Afghans themselves can give impetus to the peace process. The first meeting of delegations of Afghan politicians in power today and the Taliban under the symbolic name “Inter-Afghan dialogue” took place in Moscow in February of this year. Just the other day, a second meeting of this format should be held in Doha, and this time there will be representatives of the Afghan government in the consolidated delegation from Kabul. However, how difficult and controversial the lists of participants of the event are from the official authorities, it is alarming for the successful outcome of the meeting. About 250 people already has a delegation from Kabul. In it are representatives from many political and national forces. The Taliban expressed doubt: would this “wedding ceremony” be negotiable? There is a grain of truth in these words.

Unfortunately, we can observe in real-time mode how the political ambitions of individual representatives of the authorities threaten the effectiveness of the mechanisms that are designed to solve general Afghan problems.

As for the advisory Loya Jirga, which is scheduled to begin work in Kabul on April 29, a number of Afghan politicians, including the main executive face of Afghanistan (Prime Minister - RT ) Abdullah Abdullah, as well as some IRA presidential candidates have already expressed their skepticism attitude and refused to participate in it.

Thus, it is too early to make predictions about a possible breakthrough in the peace process in Afghanistan.

  • Reuters
  • © Mohammad Ismail

- How and how do external forces contribute to the agreement of the opposing forces in Afghanistan? What will be discussed first of all at the meeting of representatives of Russia, the USA and China on Afghanistan on April 25 in Moscow?

- The main efforts of external international players are focused on assisting the parties to the conflict in the IRA in finding mutually acceptable solutions and bringing them to direct and frank negotiations on the conditions of national reconciliation. As for the trilateral meeting on Afghanistan, scheduled for April 25, 2019, the agenda is obvious. Russia, the USA and China, as well as other interested states, should coordinate their solutions to the Afghan problems in a coordinated manner. This requires a regular exchange of views and elaboration of all possible scenarios. Through collective efforts, we must achieve the realization of the right of the Afghan people to live in peace and stability.

- The Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah, recently said that he hoped for Russia, which, he said, could use its influence to advance the negotiation process between official Kabul and the Taliban militants. Are his hopes justified?

- Russia is interested in establishing peace in the IRA. Afghan events echo in neighboring states, including in Central Asia, which are our close partners. Our country does not change the attitude towards Afghanistan itself: it must be independent, economically prosperous, peaceful.

To achieve these goals, we initiated the so-called Moscow format on Afghanistan. At his last meeting, held on November 9, 2018, the emissaries of the Taliban Movement were invited, in addition to representatives of countries of the region and important international players. We believe that the meeting of the format was effective and eventually became the impetus for the launch of the inter-Afghan peace dialogue, the second meeting of which, as I mentioned, will be held in Doha.

“Civilian casualties are rising”

- Does the US military presence in the IRA end? Contradictory statements are heard from Washington: either the United States is going to withdraw its military contingent, it is not going to ... What is happening in reality and how much does the coalition forces under the auspices of the USA influence the situation in the country?

- US President Donald Trump, as you know, supported the idea of ​​withdrawing troops, arguing that the United States spent one trillion dollars in 18 years in Afghanistan and lost the lives of more than 2.4 thousand US troops. Opponents of the withdrawal refer to the same argument, indicating that the price paid is too expensive to be so easy to leave.

This issue is being actively discussed at the talks between representatives of the United States and the Taliban Movement in Doha. Nevertheless, there is still no certainty about the timing of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops. From our point of view, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan should be preceded by measures to strengthen the combat capability of the Afghan national security forces, which should be ready to fully maintain order in the country on their own.

  • US military in Afghanistan
  • Reuters
  • © Parwiz

We believe that the NATO-led NATO’s “Resolute Support” mission, which came to replace the International Security Assistance Force in 2014, did not cope with the task of creating effective Afghan security forces that would be able to control the situation in the IRA and protect it from serious challenges and threats. First of all - from terrorism and drugs. Evidence of the poor quality of training and equipping the Afghan national security forces is a record high level of casualties among Afghan soldiers in 2018. In addition, the number of army and police is reduced due to desertion. Civilian casualties are rising as a result of actions by both the armed opposition and government forces, and the forces of the international coalition.

The military contingent of the coalition under the auspices of the United States, despite the considerable amount of money invested, failed to solve the task of ensuring security in the country.

- How can the results of the 18-year American “patronizing” over Afghanistan be assessed as a whole? What are the pros, what are the cons?

- Over the 18 years of their presence in Afghanistan, the Americans have to some extent contributed to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Positive aspects include the adoption of the Constitution at the Loya Jirga in 2004. For the first time in several decades, the parliament resumed its work, the first democratic elections were held in the country, and progress has been made in the field of human rights. Thus, with the assistance of the United States and other international donors, Afghanistan has acquired all the necessary external attributes of a democratic state.

However, at the same time, it is impossible not to draw attention to the numerous violations of the Constitution by the Afghan authorities themselves. Difficult relations are observed between the two leaders of the so-called National Unity Government - the president and the chief executive officer of the country (the prime minister. - RT ). The final results of the elections to the lower house of the Afghan parliament have not yet been announced. It should be noted that the term of work of the current government will soon expire. We believe that the presidential elections scheduled for September of this year will be a real test of the sustainability of the political system created with the support of the USA. Their outcome can lead to noticeable changes in the domestic political field of the country.

  • October 2018, parliamentary elections in Afghanistan
  • Reuters
  • © Omar Sobhani

From 2002 to the end of 2018, the US government allocated about $ 34 billion to support the socio-economic development of Afghanistan. Of these, $ 20.5 billion was channeled through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

However, despite the colossal gratuitous financial injections, the socio-economic situation in Afghanistan remains extremely depressive, which has recently led foreign donors to seriously think about the effectiveness of the assistance provided.

"In Afghanistan, from 4 to 10 thousand militants IG"

- The penetration of the “Islamic State” into Afghanistan: how did the militants of this radical group move from Syria and Iraq to the IRA, how strongly did you strengthen your country? How many are now in Afghanistan?

- The members of the IG penetrate into Afghanistan illegally, and then, using propaganda, recruit new recruits from the local population. Often, Taliban militants join the ranks of this group. Currently, the number of Islamic State militants in an IRA can range from 4 to 10 thousand people.

However, propaganda work carried out recently by functionaries of the Afghan wing of the IS has intensified. It is aimed at attracting youth to the ranks of the gangs. Because of problems with finding a job and earning a decent income, this is the most vulnerable social group in Afghanistan for recruiting. Therefore, in all likelihood, the number of terrorist cells of the “Islamic State” will increase, thereby increasing the risks of destabilization of the situation in the region.

- Does it threaten us with anything?

- The predominant concentration of militants of this terrorist group is observed in the east and in the north of Afghanistan, in areas bordering the Central Asian republics. Therefore, of course, the IS represents a serious threat to the security of the Russian Federation and the countries of Central Asia.

- Is there a real fight against opiate producers and drug trafficking organizers in Afghanistan today?

- Despite the fact that there is an anti-drug unit in the Afghan National Police, and the media regularly report on the destruction of the next drug lab by the coalition forces, significant successes in this regard have not been achieved yet.

The results of the fight against the drug threat were recently criticized by John F. Sopko, the Special Inspector General of the United States for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan (SIGAR). Speaking before the US Congress, he noted that none of the programs to combat opium poppy crops and heroin production did not lead to the desired result. At the same time, the United States spent a total of $ 8.87 billion on its anti-drug campaign in the IRA.

- And to no avail? Is everything so hopeless?

- Last year in Afghanistan there was a severe drought, drug production declined slightly. It's been raining for two weeks in a row. In a week, the first crop of opium poppy will be harvested this year.

But the problem is not in weather conditions. The continuation of hostilities in the country, the related social and economic problems, as well as the factor of profit from drug production by terrorist groups do not give hope for an early end to the threat of the spread of drugs.

  • Reuters
  • © Abdul Malik

“Interested in a stable Afghanistan, free from terrorism and drugs”


- At what level are the economic relations between Russia and Afghanistan now?

- Unfortunately, at the moment we are recording a drop in the volume of mutual trade, as well as a decline in business activity of Russian companies on the Afghan track. Thus, in 2018, the trade turnover decreased by 41.1% compared to 2017 and amounted to $ 122.7 million. At the same time, Russian exports decreased by 42.2% and amounted to $ 118.7 million, while imports from Afghanistan grew by 37.9 % up to $ 4 million

The main reasons for this situation are the US desire to reduce the presence of Russia in Afghanistan, the lack of necessary security for Russian citizens in the event of their physical presence here, as well as a high level of corruption throughout the Afghan government.

- Americans in any way disturb us?

- For example, they gave the command to the local authorities not to spend a cent on purchases of Russian energy resources. Task completed. The same problems from April 1, 2014, immediately after the Ukrainian “Maidan” and the beginning of sanctions campaigns against our country, arose in the field of military-technical cooperation.

To this day, an intergovernmental agreement on the provision of military technical assistance to Afghanistan, which entered into force in November 2016, is in force. Formally, our military-technical cooperation did not stop. In practice, certain negative trends. They are associated primarily with the course towards the Americanization of Afghan power structures, including the issues of equipment and armament. This also applies to the recent acclaimed history of the supply of Russian helicopters. I want to emphasize: on our part, all previously planned contracts were executed, nothing “stuck”.

Cessation of cooperation in Afghanistan through the Russia-NATO Council is not our initiative, and we still do not approve of it. Together we could do much more in Afghanistan. Russian helicopters have long proved their best adaptability to Afghan conditions, demonstrated unsurpassed performance and endurance. Americans themselves admit it. But ahead of the benefits to the cause they have political interests.

In a positive way, it is possible to note the completion by the staff of Inter RAO - Engineering LLC of the reconstruction of the hydraulic unit No. 1 and the overhaul of the hydraulic unit No. 3 at the Afghan Naglu HPP.

- Do Russian specialists work now in Afghanistan?

- Due to the cancellation of a number of Russian-Afghan contracts, for example, on the construction of mini hydropower plants, and the completion of work at the Naglu hydropower plant, which is not due to our fault, Russian specialists in Afghanistan currently do not work.

- Alexander Vikentievich, if relations are sad today and foreign forces unfriendly influence us so strongly, does Russia need Afghanistan today?

- Afghanistan has been and will remain our neighbor, although it has already been separated by several borders. Now military actions continue in this country, including in many areas of the northern provinces, which can not but affect the security situation in neighboring countries. Therefore, we need Afghanistan, and Russia needs it.

  • Reuters
  • © Omar Sobhani

Today, our country contributes to stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan by actively participating in strengthening the fighting capacity of the Afghan national security forces, providing opportunities for short-term and long-term training for military, police, border guards, and personnel for anti-drug services.

We are extremely interested in a stable, calm, prosperous Afghanistan, free from terrorism and drugs. In the interests of the Russian Federation and our Central Asian partners, we will continue to promote peace and stability in this country.

* The Taliban movement, (DT, "Taliban") - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.

** “Islamic State” (IG) - the organization is recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated December 29, 2014.