ATHENS. Oct 21 (Interfax) - The Taliban (designated as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia) could be recognized as a legitimate authority in Afghanistan if they form a truly inclusive government, join the family of civilized countries, and uphold the rights of women and children, Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matviyenko said.
The Taliban's "recognition or non-recognition is not a priority step today. I think that, if this dialogue prompts the Taliban to implement the conditions of which I've said, and not just implement on paper but put them into practice, I think there'll certainly be recognition, because power there really belongs to them. But this is not an easy and quick way. This depends primarily on them," Matviyenko told journalists on Thursday.
"The Taliban should be persuaded to put together a truly inclusive government, which would include not only representatives of all ethnic groups living in Afghanistan, but also all political forces," Matviyenko said.
"This is the only structure that would be stable and capable of ensuring Afghanistan's peaceful development as a state," she said.
"Just as the entire global community does, we definitely call on Afghanistan to join the family of civilized states and uphold and protect human rights, primarily women and children. And this requires a dialogue," Matviyenko said.
Russia is concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and is interested in having the civil war and bloodshed stopped there, so that it becomes a peaceful country, she said.
"There's a need to meet with them and do everything possible to make sure that there is no more outbreaks of civil confrontation, that terrorist attacks end there, and that no third party could threaten security of the Central Asian states, our partners and CSTO allies, from Afghanistan's territory," she said.