Putin confirms his desire to improve relations with the Taliban
Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed his desire to improve relations with the ruling Taliban movement in Afghanistan.
"We are doing everything in our power to bring the situation in the country back to normal and to build relations with the political forces that control the situation," the Russian "Interfax" news agency quoted Putin as saying during a visit to Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan, on Tuesday.
A Taliban delegation attended the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
It should be noted that Putin's visit to Tajikistan is his first foreign visit since the outbreak of the war on Ukraine in late February.
During his talks with his Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmon, Putin said he wanted to get a picture of the situation in Central Asia, and Putin spoke of "shared responsibility" for stability in the region.
Russia has a military base in the former Soviet republic, and Putin plans to go on Wednesday to Turkmenistan, also in Central Asia, as well as the former Soviet republic.
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